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Maisie Williams Is Still Shocked By ‘Game of Thrones’ Success Six Years On

By Oliver VanDervoort
Published on: 23:29 PST, Apr 23, 2016

Maisie Williams wasn’t sure Game of Thrones was going to be the success it has turned out to be when she first got the job as Arya Stark. After finding out she got the role, Maisie Williams said she started out just hoping she would make enough on the HBO series to buy herself a new laptop. Now six years later, Game of Thrones is one of the most popular shows on television, and Williams has become an up-and-coming star despite her young age.

While she was initially skeptical the role would lead to this much success, others in her family were more confident. Maisie Williams recently told the Guardian her stepfather, Gary, was dumbfounded when she made her doubts known. According to Williams, he told her he was pretty sure she would end up making enough money to buy a couple of laptops when all was said and done. Maisie Williams claims she thought he was the one who was very wrong, but it turns out her family had a better idea of just how beloved Game of Thrones would become despite its rather dark tone.

“Suddenly I could pay for my own dancing lessons and school trips, all those things my mum had always paid for. I was able to help out.”

Yahoo News reports that despite the fact Willaims knew the show was gaining steam, it didn’t really hit home for her until Season 3 just what a juggernaut she had on her hands.

“We had our first proper premiere in L.A., and that was the first time I saw lots of fans in one place, and lots of paparazzi and cameras. I never believed that kind of thing actually happened, and there I was, standing in the middle of it all. That was the first time I thought, ‘Wow, my life is changing.'”

Maisie Williams says one of the reasons her character has become so popular is because she can really relate to Arya Stark. While Williams wasn’t the daughter of a “Lord of the North” like her Game of Thrones counterpart, she was a tomboy like Arya. The young actress, who just celebrated her 19th birthday on April 15, says she saw her sister doing “girly things” like straightening her hair in order to get ready for the day and felt it was just “too much work.”

Having started Game of Thrones when she was just entering her teens, Maisie Williams is clearly starting to embrace the woman she’s becoming. Williams has become more of a fashion-forward icon. These days, there are plenty of girls who will look to Maisie Williams in order to see what she’s wearing so they can copy her style. Despite the massive success Game of Thrones has found in the last couple of years, the English actress seems to have kept her head. Also talking to Yahoo News, she spoke about understanding the fact that her career will not last forever.

At the same time, Williams’ growth on the show and other roles, such as the recurring character on Dr. Who, could mean she’s going to have quite a bit more success than other child actors. Williams’ success might be illustrated best by the fact that her role on Dr. Who is that of a child who has lived several lifetimes and, because of that, is clearly wise beyond her years. By the time Game of Thrones Season 6 is over, perhaps Maisie Williams will see Arya Stark gain that kind of wisdom as well, but for now, she has to find a way to carry out her mission without the ability to see.

[Photo by Jordan Strauss/AP Images]

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