Maisie Williams says she resented playing Arya Stark on Game of Thrones when she hit puberty

Game of Thrones finale aired way back in 2019 and in the end, the Stark siblings found their destinies. Bran became the King of the realm, Sansa became the Queen in the North, Jon went beyond the Wall to live with the wildlings and Arya set sail for her new adventure, discovering what’s West of Westeros. Arya, played by Maisie Williams, had one of the best storylines and character development throughout the series, and a life-changing role for the young actress. However, things weren’t always bright and shiny for Williams.

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There was a time when Williams hated playing Arya, partly due to the fact that her body was changing more quickly than her on-screen age, where she had to maintain her tomboyish appearance. In a recent interview with GQ magazine, she revealed, “I think that when I started becoming a woman, I resented Arya because I couldn’t express who I was becoming. And then I also resented my body because it wasn’t aligned with the piece of me that the world celebrated.”

Maisie was made to wear a strap around her chest to hide the changes she was going through as a teenager. She still remembers the day when she was handed a bra for the first time in the Game of Thrones costume trailer. It was a coming-of-age moment for her. When asked if she misses a specific part of Game of Thrones, she says, “Can I say none of it?”

She explains, “I don’t think it’s healthy [to miss it], because I loved it. I look at it so fondly, and I look at it with such pride. But why would I want to make myself feel sad about the greatest thing that ever happened to me? I don’t want to associate that with feelings of pain.”

How do you feel about Maisie Williams’ Arya? Tell us in the comments below!

 

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