Game of Thrones has turned Maisie Williams into one of the hottest young stars around, but it could have all been so different.
Talking to InStyle, Williams revealed that she nearly turned down her audition to play Arya Stark for a field trip to a pig farm of all things. Fortunately, she decided the pigs could wait for another day and the rest is history.
And although she admitted that her instant fame led to her struggling "with the pressure to fit in" during her teens, she will miss playing Arya once Game of Thrones finishes next year.
"The hardest thing about the show ending is that I'll never get to be Arya again," Williams reflected. "I do wish she shaped me to be more fearless in the industry. Honestly, no matter what else I work on, I'll miss playing her."
Earlier this year, she spoke to Digital Spy about the end of Game of Thrones and how her position talking to fans and the press has changed.
"It's just strange as it's everything I've ever known, but also any interview I ever do ends up talking about this show and where it's going and what's going to happen, and this is it – I know what's going to happen," Williams teased.
Not that she'll ever spoil the shows for fans, apart from on one condition. "I would only ever tell someone a spoiler if I didn't like them. I should use it as ammunition," she joked.
Game of Thrones returns to HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK in 2019.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
