The news that Maisie Williams (Arya Stark on HBO’s Game of Thrones ) will guest star on Doctor Who when the ninth series begins in the fall set the internet abuzz in March. But Williams appeared on popular British talk show, Alan Carr: Chatty Man , tonight where she danced around the topic like she was doing the tango in a ballroom competition.
“There’s been a lot of speculation about whether she’s like a younger Clara or whether she’s a new character completely. I’m not going to tell you which one. Whether she’s good or bad is up for discussion, I think. She does put the Doctor to the test and it’s a sort of dynamic that we haven’t seen before.”
A tantalising idea, considering everything the rebooted Doctor has dealt with over the past eight series.
Find out more about Maisie and the new series of #DoctorWho at http://t.co/he9Anc81qb pic.twitter.com/OVD9dNnsU3
— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) March 30, 2015
Maisie Williams, who seems a lot older than her 17 years, appears to seek out roles that take a closer look at the unexamined and its various shade of darkness. As Arya, Williams is singularly focused on a murderous quest to avenge the wrongful deaths of her parents. Her character, Casey, in Cyberbully , goes toe-to-toe with hackers bent on online sexual harassment. In this month’s The Falling , Maisie portrays a teen thrust into facing the way burgeoning sexuality can break apart a friendship.
At a time when most teens are trying to find themselves and all adults feel that all they want to do is take selfies, Maisie gives the impression of wanting to take on the world. In the spring/summer issue of Dazed , Williams says, “I picked up my voice at a young age and I want to use it.”
Her co-star, Kit Harrington, who plays her on-screen half-brother, Jon Snow, was bowled over when he first met Maisie at a read-through for the first season of Game of Thrones .
“[Maisie] didn’t seem like a child actor. She had enthusiasm and professionalism that hadn’t been taught. I was kind of astounded that there was this 11-year-old absolutely nailing it, without anyone telling her what to do or how to do it. [Arya] is one of the hardest parts to cast, and what you’re really looking for is that character in a child. When Maisie walked into the room, that’s what they got. She had the energy of Arya, the cockiness and reckless abandon. They’re kindred spirits, really.”
With Williams revealing that Arya Stark will be broken down on this season ‘s Game of Thrones so the audience can see behind the cracks — only the book readers may have an inkling as to what Maisie’s referring to — and the surprise of Arya, the Stark Tomboy, officially getting a makeover, there’s much to look forward to exploring for Williams.
EXCLUSIVE: We interrupt our #EWGoTBattle for a first look at Arya’s @GameofThrones makeover: http://t.co/9h5guLHEOn pic.twitter.com/UcdnnXnh6L
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) March 11, 2015
And when it comes right down to it Maisie doesn’t want to be remembered because she has a pretty face, she’d “much rather be liked because people realize that [she’s] standing up for [herself].”
Catch the premiere of the fifth season of Game of Thrones on April 12.
[Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Entertainment]
