Maisie Williams gained international recognition and two Emmy nominations for her performance as Arya Stark in the epic series, Game of Thrones. Williams joined the project when she was just 12 and spent most of her formative years in the character. While fans expect the heroic Arya Stark to return for the highly anticipated Jon Snow spin-off series, it appears that Williams wants to move on to more diverse roles.
Williams revealed that she lost her identity in the ensemble series spanning eight seasons and that the epic show had brought her discomfort. The Mary Shelley actress has since moved on to other projects like The New Mutants, Pistol, and more recently The New Look.
Maisie Williams Has Bad News For Game Of Thrones Fans Awaiting Jon Snow Spin-Off
George R. R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the book on which Game of Thrones was based, revealed a Jon Snow spin-off in early development in June 2022. While the show awaits a green light from HBO, the studio has already announced another spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. If the Jon Snow spin-off were to proceed, Kit Harington is set to reprise his iconic role in the series.
Fans also expect other fan-favorite Game of Thrones actors to make an appearance, including Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams. However, Williams’ recent interview with The Sunday Times doesn’t paint a positive picture regarding her appearance in another GoT spinoff. Starting as a child actor in 2011, Williams played the role of Arya Stark for the entirety of her teen years and revealed that the role brought her some identity issues.
The Then Came You actress revealed that she was very uncomfortable in her own skin. Williams shared that it was tough to recall her days on the Game of Thrones set and talk about it because the role had brought her a lot of discomfort. Williams shared with The Sunday Times:
“I was so lost for so long and I knew that I was, and when I couldn’t pin down what I felt my identity was within that, it brought me a lot of discomfort. It’s hard to even put myself back there and talk about how tough it was just because I think it’s done.”
While she added that playing one of the central protagonists of the story was “enthralling”, it came at the cost of her finding an identity outside of the role in the series. Williams’ role had a really long character arc in the show, which encompassed severance, trauma, tragedy, and revenge. Maisie Williams’ performance was recognized with accolades for the role, even receiving two Emmy nominations.
Maisie Williams Found It Difficult To Handle Rejection At The Time
While Maisie Williams was lost for so long after the Game of Thrones role, she revealed that she is currently more comfortable in her skin. She shared that during her initial years right out of Game of Thrones, she was finding it difficult to find roles. She shared getting rejected for numerous roles, adding that these rejections were so personal and painful. Williams revealed that she would compare herself with other actresses in all of the most destructive ways. Williams told The Sunday Times:
“It was at its absolute worst when I also was the most out of touch with myself — not knowing your identity and that kind of thing — I think rejection at that point felt so personal, so painful. I’d solely compare myself to other actresses, and the way people looked, and all of the most destructive ways that you can compare yourself.”
She shared that she can handle rejection a lot better now at the age of 26. It is highly unlikely that she would go back to a place where she suffered severe identity issues. It is entirely possible that fans may not be able to see Maisie Williams as Arya Stark in any of the Game of Thrones spin-off projects in the near future. Williams currently plays Catherine Dior, sister of Christian Dior, in the series, The New Look.
Game of Thrones is available for streaming on Max, while The New Look is available for streaming on AppleTV+.
