The top 15 best performances on Game of Thrones

Image: Game of Thrones/HBO

8. Maisie Williams as Arya Stark

Game of Thrones is special in that we get to see multiple actors take characters from childhood to adulthood over the span of eight seasons, and it’s an amazing thing to watch. In this regard, Maisie Williams’ performance stands out from the rest.

To start, Arya may have the best arc of any character in the show. Just think of how young she is at the start of the series and all the horrible things she battles through as it goes on. Instead of giving up all hope, Arya adapts to the world around her and continually improves herself. Through it all, Williams shows a maturity far beyond her years, giving us a lone wolf who grows accustomed to being without her pack. I wanted to watch an entire series that was just Arya going around checking people off of her list. Watching her stab Meryn Trant and seeing her standing over the hall of dead Freys was probably the best I ever felt when watching the show. Williams is so good at selling these brutal moments, turning them into iconic scenes.

But for Williams’ best acting moments, look to her scenes with Sandor Clegane, aka the Hound (Rory McCann). As a book-reader, I really appreciated how the show expanded on this relationship. Game of Thrones is all about factions vying against each other for power, yet here were two people you never thought would connect who come together and manage to find common ground, even if they don’t want to admit it. They are both loners, yet they need each other. Williams and McCann feed off each other’s performances in a way you can’t script, bringing Martin’s original story to life in a way that just couldn’t happen on the page. It’s a great example of good acting really adding to the experience.