Nearly three years after the show’s finale, Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams is opening up about what she describes as her quiet resentment for the role of Arya Stark, the tomboyish daughter of Ned Stark who longs to be a warrior.
In a recent interview with GQ, Williams discussed the way her time on Game of Thrones impacted her mentality. She described the moment she was handed a bra on set as somewhat of a turning point in her career — to her, this was the moment that Arya’s role departed from her own identity.
“I think that when I started becoming a woman, I resented Arya because I couldn’t express who I was becoming,” she said. “And then I also resented my body, because it wasn’t aligned with the piece of me that the world celebrated.”
Williams, who was cast as Arya at just 12 years old, also recounted the way fame at a young age was relatively harmful. When the show reached season three, Williams walked a red carpet for the first time and was forced to come to terms with a level of fame that she, had she been younger, isn’t “sure what that would have done to me mentally.”
Williams’s feelings toward the show aren’t all harsh, however. While she admittedly doesn’t miss Game of Thrones, she’s still appreciative of her time on the show. “Why would I want to make myself feel sad about the greatest thing that ever happened to me?” Williams said.
Williams is now busy filming projects like Pistol, which traces the rise of the Sex Pistols in the 1970s, where she plays a model and punk pioneer. As for Game of Thrones, it’s still going, with the House of the Dragon prequel set to debut in August.
Amelia Zollner is a freelance contributor at IGN.
