EXCLUSIVE: Game of Thrones Star Maisie Williams Is Unstoppable

Maisie Williams is nervous.

We’re in the back of a black SUV, weaving in and out of lunchtime traffic on New York’s 7th Avenue, en route to the Google offices where 18-year-old Williams is about to host the Always #LikeAGirl Confidence Summit in front of the world’s media and she hasn’t had time to read through her notes.

“I feel nervous about everything, no matter what I do,” admits the West Country native, gingerly sipping cup of honey and lemon.

While her words read anxious, her steady hand and unwavering voice hint at an steely resolve that has no doubt influenced her portrayal of Game of Thrones’ pluckiest (if not unluckiest) character, Arya Stark.

Despite having an entourage approaching the double digits there is very little of the diva about Williams, who was thrust into the spotlight aged just 12 when she was cast in the HBO smash hit. Dropping out of mainstream school at the age of 14, Maisie has grown up fast thanks in part to the prevalence of social media.

Twitter trolls and GoT superfans have had their fair share of things to say about her but Maisie has little time for un-constructive criticism.

“I experience the exactly the same issues as other girls but my criticism is not just coming from girls in the playground, it’s coming from all over the world.

“It’s very difficult but I have to just stay focused and remember that I’m doing what makes me happy and nothing else really matters.”

There’s a rare honesty about Williams that you don’t see with most media trained actors, and it’s one she admits can be a weakness.

“Everything I say comes straight from the heart so it’s quite weird opening yourself up to people and really putting yourself on the line,” says Williams. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be totally confident with it but it isn’t gonna hold me back, I will always do it.”

Williams is in New York today as part of her role as the new Always global ambassador, the first brand endorsement she’s ever done and it’s pretty clear she’s not just in this for the paycheck.

The #LikeAGirl campaign blew up in 2014 when a two minute advert asking boys and girls to reenact what the term ‘like a girl’ means to them went viral.

A year on, director and photographer Lauren Greenfield is back with another poignant ad – this time encouraging young women to become ‘unstoppable’.

New stats show that 88 per cent of girls feel pressure to conform to societal expectations of how they should feel and act – something Maisie is familiar with.

“I remember when I stopped trying. Not only did I feel like I shouldn’t do these things, but I stopped taking things as seriously because I thought: ‘That’s not what I want to do’.

“Now I look back and realise, I just pretended I didn’t because I felt that I shouldn’t.”

“After watching the original video, I was so inspired and it made me think so much about the past that I wanted to be involved in the next one.”

In her own words, Maisie has ‘come out the other side’ of this self-confidence slump and it’s hard to think of a more in control and self-assured 18-year-old.

Holding out to become the face of a campaign she truly believes in speaks to Maisie’s integrity, and it’s one that has seen her eschew mainstream movie roles in favour of dark, indie projects like 2014’s ‘The Falling’.

She becomes wistful, or as wistful as a teenager can be, when I ask what she would be doing if she hadn’t become an actress.

“I’d probably be in London, training to become a dancer,” she says, looking out the window at the busy Manhattan street (something she does often throughout the interview).

When pushed on what kind of dance she would be training in, she is non-committal and not for the first time in our brief chat I get the sense that Maisie has an uncanny knack for being at once open without giving too much away – a nifty trick when dealing with inquisitive journalist.

Warning: Game of Thrones spoilers ahead

She is surprisingly cut-throat when talk moves to the shocking series finale of GoT, which saw firm fan favourite Jon Snow become the victim of a bloody mutiny, and has little time for conspiracy theories concocted by grieving viewers.

“Jon is gone,” she repeats throughout every interview she has done that morning.

“He got stabbed in the chest multiple times! I don’t understand what people don’t get about that.”

She quickly dismisses theories that the former Lord Commander will be resurrected as a White Walker but she does feel for the fans.

“I thought people would have been used to that sort of thing. I knew Jon Snow was a favourite character but I didn’t realise there was going to be the backlash.”

Whether or not Jon does return, Arya has her own problems to deal with – namely her new visually impaired state.

“Arya’s blind now,” Maisie confirms. “I haven’t got the scripts through for the new season yet but I guess she’s going to be doing more blind things. It’ll be easier to kill her, which is scary.”

While fear for her Westeros alter ego might be wise, Maisie has little to worry about when it comes to her future.

She leads the conference with confidence and grace, engaging in meaningful debate about the debilitating effect societal pressures have on girls during puberty and holding her own alongside women twice her age with many letters after their names.

I ask her about what’s next and whether or not the idea of university appeals to her.

“Yeah it does. Not right now, there are lots of other things that appeal to me right now.

“I need to make sure that I’m happy with every decision I make and I’m at the focus of it. I don’t really have a plan for the future, and it’s worked so far.”

As we exit the car onto the baking New York sidewalk and make our way into the Google office where her entourage takes over, I have to give it to her – she’s one tough cookie.

Image credit: Always, Tumblr, Rex