Maisie Williams: The Life Story Behind Arya's Star

Maisie Williams was twelve when she was cast as Arya Stark, and the casting is still the centre of her story, the role against which every other role is measured. She was born on 15 April 1997 in Bristol, in England, as Margaret Constance Williams, and she grew up in Clutton, a village in Somerset, in a family that was ordinary, and she studied dance, not acting, at Bath Dance College, and she went to an audition for a television series she had never heard of, because her dance teacher told her to, and she was cast, and the casting changed her life. She played Arya Stark in Game of Thrones for eight seasons, from 2011 to 2019, from the age of thirteen to the age of twenty-two, and she grew up on screen, in front of millions of viewers, and she became, for a generation, the face of Arya, a girl who becomes a killer, a survivor, a hero, and the career that followed took her to film, to The New Mutants, to The Owners, to Pistol, to The New Look, to the stage, to Daisie, a company she co-founded, and the journey is the story of a girl from Bristol who became a global star at twelve, and who is now, in her late twenties, trying to become an actress, not just Arya, and who is doing it by working, by taking risks, and by choosing roles that are difficult.

Bristol, 1997: A Childhood in Somerset

Maisie Williams was born in Bristol in 1997, when England was a country of Cool Britannia, of a new government, of a pop culture that was confident, and when a girl from the West Country could dream of being a dancer, of performing, of being on a stage, without knowing how. She grew up in Clutton, a village in Somerset, near Bath, in a family that was close, with a mother who supported her, and with siblings, and she has described her childhood as happy and ordinary, with school, with friends, and with dance, and the dance is the foundation: Williams studied dance at Bath Dance College, she learned ballet, tap, musical theatre, and she learned, young, that performance is a physical thing, a body, a movement, a discipline, and the discipline is the acting, because an actress, like a dancer, must train, must be fit, must be ready, and must perform when it matters. The Somerset childhood matters, because it gave Williams a sense of being ordinary, of being from a village, not from London, and the ordinariness is the foundation of her appeal: she is an actress who is also a girl from Clutton, a woman who is funny, who is warm, who is not a diva, and the audience loves her for it, because she is relatable, because she is real, and because she does not pretend to be something she is not.

The village also gave her a sense of proportion. A girl who grows up in a village learns that fame is not the normal state of things, that most people live ordinary lives, and that an actress is a person who does a job, and Williams has carried that proportion into her adult career. She is famous, she is photographed, she is followed on social media by millions of people, and she has also spoken about the difficulty of that fame, about the pressure, about the need for privacy, and about the importance of family and friends. The village is the anchor, the place she comes from, and the anchor holds, even when the fame pulls hard, even when she is in Los Angeles, in New York, and the audience that knows her best knows that she is still the girl from Clutton who wanted to dance.

Bath Dance College and the Audition

Williams studied dance at Bath Dance College, a school for young performers, where she learned ballet, tap, jazz, and musical theatre, and where she was, by her own account, a good dancer, but not a great one, and where her teacher saw something in her, a presence, a face, a spark, and suggested that she audition for a television series, Game of Thrones, a fantasy series based on the novels of George R.R. Martin, that was casting a young girl to play Arya Stark. Williams went to the audition, she had never acted, she had never been on television, and she was cast, at twelve, and the casting is the most famous part of her story: a dancer who went to an audition on a teacher’s suggestion, and who became Arya Stark, one of the most famous characters in television history, and the becoming is the proof that sometimes, talent is recognised quickly, if the face is right, and the face is right.

The audition matters because it shows Williams as a girl who was not looking for fame, who was a dancer, who was happy, and who was given a chance, and who took it, and the taking is the story: she did not chase Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones found her, and the finding changed her life, from a village in Somerset to a set in Belfast, to a global audience, and the change is the career, a career that began with a teacher’s suggestion, and that has lasted for fifteen years, and the lasting is the proof that the casting was not a fluke, but a recognition, of a talent that was already there, in a dancer who had never acted, and who could act, because she had learned, in dance, how to perform, how to hold a stage, how to be watched.

Game of Thrones: Arya Stark

Williams played Arya Stark in Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2019, for eight seasons, from the age of thirteen to the age of twenty-two, and the role is the centre of her career, the character that made her famous, and that she will always be associated with, whether she likes it or not. Arya is the youngest daughter of Ned Stark, a girl who is a tomboy, who wants to be a knight, who is given a sword, Needle, by her brother Jon Snow, and who, after her father’s death, becomes a survivor, a runaway, a killer, a woman who learns to fight, to disguise herself, to take revenge, and who, in the end, kills the Night King, the leader of the White Walkers, in the Battle of Winterfell, in one of the most famous moments in television history. Williams played Arya with a intensity, a physicality, and a honesty that made the audience believe in her, from a thirteen-year-old girl in Winterfell to a twenty-two-year-old woman who saves the world, and the believing is the performance, because the audience watched her grow up, on screen, year after year, and the growing up is the story, of Arya, and of Maisie.

Game of Thrones matters because it is the biggest television series in history, a show that was watched by hundreds of millions of people, that won Emmy Awards, that changed television, and Williams was at the centre of it, as Arya, a character who is loved by fans around the world, who is quoted, who is dressed as, at conventions, and who is, for many viewers, the reason they watched the show. The series earned Williams Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, a recognition that she was not just a child actress, but a serious actress, a woman who could hold her own in a cast of adults, and who could do it, season after season, for eight years, and the eight years are the proof of her talent, and of her discipline, because a child who grows up on a television set, and who does not break, is a rare thing, and Williams did not break, she grew, and the growing is the achievement.

The Secret of Crickley Hall and the Early Roles

While Game of Thrones was running, Williams took other roles, in television and in film, in a deliberate attempt to prove that she was more than Arya, that she could play other characters, and the early roles show the ambition: in 2012 she appeared in The Secret of Crickley Hall, a BBC drama, in which she played Loren Caleigh, a teenage girl whose family moves into a haunted house, and the role is a small one, but it is a serious one, a girl who is afraid, who is trying to protect her family, and Williams plays her with a honesty that is the mark of a young actress who is learning, who is trying, and who is, in the end, good. The role matters because it is the first time Williams played a character who is not Arya, a girl who is ordinary, who is not a killer, who is not a survivor, but a teenager, and the ordinariness is the point: she can play ordinary, as well as extraordinary, and the audience believes her in both.

The early roles also include The Falling, a film from 2014, in which she played Lydia, a schoolgirl in the 1960s, and the film is a drama about friendship, about adolescence, about a girl who is intense, and Williams’s performance was praised, because she played Lydia as a girl who is passionate, who is difficult, and who is, in many ways, a portrait of a teenager who is growing up, and the growing up is the theme of her early career, a girl who is growing up on screen, in Game of Thrones, in The Falling, and in life, all at once, and the three together are the story of a young actress who is learning her craft in public, and who is learning it well.

The Falling, The Book of Love and the Films

In 2014 Williams starred in The Falling, directed by Carol Morley, in which she played Lydia Lamont, a schoolgirl at an English girls’ school in 1969, who, with her best friend Abbie, played by Florence Pugh, experiences a mysterious fainting epidemic, and the film is a drama about adolescence, about friendship, about a girl who is intense, and Williams’s performance is at the centre of it, a girl who is passionate, who is angry, who is trying to understand the world, and the performance was praised, because it showed that Williams could carry a film, that she could play a leading role, and that she was not just Arya, but an actress, a woman who could play a schoolgirl in the 1960s as well as a killer in Westeros. The film was a critical success, and it introduced Williams to an audience that had not watched Game of Thrones, an audience that saw her as a film actress, and the seeing is the reward for the risk, for taking a small, independent film, and for trusting that the work would lead somewhere.

In 2016 she appeared in The Book of Love, directed by Bill Purple, in which she played Millie, a young woman who helps a widower, played by Jason Sudeikis, and the film is a drama about grief, about a man who is trying to live after his wife’s death, and Williams’s Millie is a girl who is homeless, who is funny, who is wise, and the role is a long way from Arya, and the distance is the point: Williams was playing a contemporary American girl, in English, in a film that is not fantasy, and she did it with a warmth, a humour, that Arya never needed, and the warmth is the proof of her range, that she can be funny, that she can be warm, and that she is not just a killer, but a person.

The New Mutants: Rahne Sinclair

In 2020 Williams appeared in The New Mutants, a Marvel film directed by Josh Boone, in which she played Rahne Sinclair, known as Wolfsbane, a young mutant who can turn into a wolf, a girl who is religious, who is afraid of her powers, who is in love with Dani Moonstar, played by Blu Hunt, and the film is a superhero horror, a story about young mutants in a hospital, and Williams’s Rahne is at the centre of it, a girl who is tormented, who is strong, who is trying to be good, and the performance is a long way from Arya, and the distance is the point: Williams was playing a superhero, a mutant, a girl who turns into a wolf, and she did it with a seriousness, a commitment, that the film, which was delayed for years, did not always deserve, and the commitment is the mark of a professional, a woman who does the work, whatever the film. The film was released in 2020, after delays, and it was not a huge success, but Williams’s performance in it was praised, because she made Rahne a person, not a power, a girl who is afraid, who is in love, and who is, in the end, brave, and the bravery is the performance.

The New Mutants matters because it shows Williams in a franchise, in a Marvel film, in a role that is global, and it proves that she could work in Hollywood, in a big-budget film, and hold her own, next to a young cast, in a story that is about teenagers with powers, and the holding is the proof of her star power, that a girl from Clutton can be a Marvel hero, and that the audience will believe her, because she believes it herself, because she plays Rahne as a girl, not as a wolf, and the girl is the point.

The Owners, Two Weeks to Live and the Thrillers

In 2020 Williams starred in The Owners, a thriller directed by Julius Berg, in which she played Mary, a young woman who, with her boyfriend, breaks into the house of an elderly couple, and who discovers that the couple are not victims, but predators, and the film is a horror, it is violent, it is about a girl who is trapped, and Williams’s Mary is at the centre of it, a girl who is afraid, who is clever, who is trying to survive, and the performance is a long way from Arya, and the distance is the point: Williams was playing a contemporary girl, in a thriller, in a house, and she did it with a intensity, a fear, that the audience believes, because she is afraid, and the fear is real. The film was a success, and it showed that Williams could carry a thriller, that she could play a leading role in a genre film, and that the audience would follow her, even when she is not Arya, even when she is Mary, a girl who is in trouble, and the following is the proof of her talent.

In the same year she starred in Two Weeks to Live, a Sky series, in which she played Kim Noakes, a young woman who has grown up off the grid, with her mother, and who, after her mother’s death, goes into the world, and who is funny, who is violent, who is trying to live, and the series is a comedy and a thriller, it is about a girl who does not know the world, and Williams’s Kim is at the centre of it, a girl who is naive, who is dangerous, and who is, in many ways, a portrait of a young woman who is learning to live, and the learning is the performance, because Williams plays Kim as a girl who is trying, who is failing, and who is, in the end, human, and the humanity is the point.

Pistol: Pamela Rooke

In 2022 Williams appeared in Pistol, an FX series directed by Danny Boyle, about the Sex Pistols, in which she played Pamela Rooke, known as Jordan, a fashion icon, a woman who worked in Vivienne Westwood’s shop, who was a punk, who was a muse, and who is, in the series, a small but memorable presence, a woman who is stylish, who is bold, and who is, in many ways, a portrait of a woman who made punk fashion, and Williams plays her with a relish, a enjoyment, that is obvious: she enjoys being Jordan, she enjoys the costumes, she enjoys the music, and the enjoyment is the performance. The series was a success, and it showed that Williams could play a real person, a woman who is famous in punk history, and do it with a respect, a style, and a wit that made the character memorable, even in a large ensemble, even in a series that is about the Sex Pistols, not about Jordan.

Pistol matters because it shows Williams in a period drama, in the 1970s, in London, in a world of punk, and the period is the challenge: she must play a woman from another time, with different clothes, different manners, different expectations, and she does it with a seriousness, a style, that Jordan never needed, and the style is the point: Williams is a fashion-conscious actress, a woman who understands clothes, who understands image, and who uses them, in Pistol, to make Jordan a person, not a costume, and the person is the performance.

The New Look: Catherine Dior

In 2024 Williams appeared in The New Look, an Apple TV+ series about Christian Dior and Coco Chanel in Paris after the Second World War, in which she played Catherine Dior, the sister of Christian Dior, a woman who was in the French Resistance, who was arrested, who was tortured, and who survived, and who is, in the series, a portrait of a woman who is brave, who is strong, and who is, in the end, a survivor, and Williams’s Catherine is at the centre of the series’ emotional story, a woman who is not a designer, but a fighter, and the performance is a long way from Arya, and the distance is the point: Williams was playing a real person, a woman who lived, who suffered, and who survived, and she did it with a gravity, a seriousness, that the role demanded, and the gravity is the proof of her maturity, that she is no longer a child actress, but a woman, an actress who can play a historical figure, and make her a person.

The New Look matters because it shows Williams as a mature actress, a woman in her late twenties playing a woman who is a hero, a Resistance fighter, and the heroism is the performance, because Williams plays Catherine as a woman who is afraid, who is brave, and who is, in the end, human, and the humanity is the point. The series was a success, and it proved that Williams could work in a prestige drama, in a series that is about fashion, about history, and about war, and hold her own, next to Ben Mendelsohn and Juliette Binoche, and the holding is the proof of her talent, and of her growth, from a girl in Winterfell to a woman in Paris, and the growth is the career.

I and You and the Stage

In 2018 Williams made her stage debut in I and You, a play by Lauren Gunderson, at the Hampstead Theatre in London, in which she played Caroline, a teenage girl who is ill, who is housebound, and who is visited by Anthony, a boy from her school, and the play is a two-hander, a conversation, a story about two teenagers who are trying to understand life, and Williams’s Caroline is at the centre of it, a girl who is funny, who is angry, who is afraid, and who is, in the end, a person, and the performance was praised, because it showed that Williams could act on stage, in front of a live audience, without a camera, without a cut, and hold a room, for two hours, with only another actor, and the holding is the proof of a theatre actress, a woman who learned her craft in dance, who learned it on television, and who can now do it on stage, and the stage is the foundation of acting, and Williams has now stood on it, and stood well.

The stage matters because it is the hardest place for an actor, a place where there is no second take, where the audience is live, and where a false note is heard at once, and Williams’s willingness to take it on, at twenty-one, after Game of Thrones, shows her ambition, her desire to learn, to grow, and to prove that she is an actress, not just a television star. The play was a success, and it gave Williams a reputation as a stage actress, a woman who can do theatre, and who will, the audience hopes, return to it, because the stage is where an actor learns, and where an actor grows, and Williams has grown there, and will grow more.

Daisie and the Entrepreneur

In 2018 Williams co-founded Daisie, a social networking app for creatives, a platform where artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers can share their work, collaborate, and find each other, and the company is a statement, a young actress who is not just an actress, but an entrepreneur, a woman who understands the internet, who understands that artists need a place to meet, and who built it, with her co-founders, and the building is the point: Williams is not waiting for Hollywood to give her roles, she is building a company, a platform, a community, and the community is the future, a place where young artists can find each other, and where the next generation can grow. Daisie matters because it shows Williams as a businesswoman, a woman who thinks about the industry, about how artists work, and about how to make it better, and the thinking is the mark of a serious person, a woman who is not just a face, but a mind, and the mind is the reason Daisie exists, and the reason it matters.

The company also shows Williams’s independence, her willingness to do something that is not acting, to take a risk, to invest her time and her money in a start-up, and the risk is the story of her whole career: a girl who went to an audition on a teacher’s suggestion, who became Arya, who left, who took film roles, who did theatre, who founded a company, and who keeps going, keeps trying, keeps building, and the building is the career, a career that is not just acting, but entrepreneurship, and the entrepreneurship is the future, a woman in her late twenties who is already thinking about what comes next, and who is building it herself.

Family, Reuben Selby and the Private Life

Williams has been in a relationship with Reuben Selby, a fashion designer, and the couple have been together for several years, and they have worked together, on fashion, on projects, and they keep their private life private, they do not share it on social media in detail, and they let the work speak, and the choice is a statement: the actress is not the gossip, and the gossip is not the art. She remains close to her family in Somerset, and she has spoken about her mother, about the importance of home, and about the need to protect her private life, and the family is the anchor, the place she returns to after the filming, after the festivals, after the fame, and the anchor holds, even when the career pulls hard, even when she is in Los Angeles, even when she is in Paris.

She is now in her late twenties, she has a global audience, she has a serious acting career, she has a company, and she has the freedom to choose her next work, and the choices she has made so far suggest that she will keep choosing difficult roles, keep working in film and television and theatre, and keep building a career that is hers, not the career that fame tried to give her. The girl from Clutton who played Arya Stark is becoming an actress, and the becoming is the story, and the story is not over, and the audience should be glad, because the best work may still be ahead.

The Girl, the Actress and the Future

Williams’s place in television history is secure, and it is a place that no one else occupies. She is Arya Stark, she is Lydia, she is Rahne, she is Catherine Dior, and the four roles together are the portrait of a young woman who was a star at twelve and who is becoming an actress at twenty-eight, who was famous on television and who is now serious in film, in theatre, and in business, and who earned the seriousness by working, by taking risks, and by proving, again and again, that she is more than Arya. The future is open, and the audience does not know what comes next, which is exactly as Williams wants it, because the not knowing is the freedom, and the freedom is the point.

The Legacy of Arya Stark

The legacy of Williams’s career so far is Arya Stark, a character who is now part of television history, a girl who becomes a killer, a survivor, a hero, and who is played by a young actress who grew up on screen, and the growing up is the legacy, and it will last. The audience that watches Game of Thrones now still believes in Arya, still feels her anger, still understands her revenge, and the believing is the legacy, and it will last, because great performances do not fade, they grow, and Williams’s Arya has grown, year after year, into the classic it is, and the classic is the reason she will always be remembered, even as she becomes someone else, in film after film, in role after role, and the becoming is the career.

My Take:

The first thing to say about Maisie Williams is that she was twelve when she was cast, and the casting is the whole story. She was a dancer, she went to an audition on a teacher’s suggestion, she had never acted, and she was cast as Arya Stark, one of the most famous characters in television history, and the casting changed her life, from a village in Somerset to a set in Belfast, to a global audience. The casting matters, because it shows that talent can be recognised quickly, if the face is right, and the face is right, and that a girl who was not looking for fame can become famous, if she is ready, and Williams was ready, because she had learned, in dance, how to perform, how to hold a stage, how to be watched, and the learning is the foundation of her acting.

The second thing is Arya, and how Williams grew up with her. She played Arya from thirteen to twenty-two, for eight seasons, and the audience watched her grow up, on screen, year after year, from a girl in Winterfell to a woman who kills the Night King, and the growing up is the performance, because Williams did not just play Arya, she lived her, she grew with her, and the growing is visible, in the face, in the body, in the voice, and the audience believes it, because it is real, because Williams was growing up, in life, at the same time as Arya was growing up, on screen, and the two growths are the same, and the sameness is the power of the performance.

The third thing is the Night King, and the moment. In the Battle of Winterfell, Arya kills the Night King, the leader of the White Walkers, in one of the most famous moments in television history, a girl who appears from nowhere, who stabs a monster, and who saves the world, and Williams plays the moment with a stillness, a focus, a physicality that makes the audience believe it, because she is not a superhero, she is a girl, a girl who has trained, who has learned, who is ready, and the readiness is the performance. The moment is the reason Arya is loved, and the reason Williams is remembered, and the remembering is the legacy, and it will last, because great television moments do not fade, they grow.

The fourth thing is the dance training, and how it shapes the acting. Williams studied dance at Bath Dance College, she learned ballet, tap, musical theatre, and the dance is the foundation of her acting: she moves well, she knows her body, she knows how to fight, how to run, how to hold a sword, and the knowing is visible in Arya, in the way she moves, in the way she fights, in the way she is physical, and the physicality is the character, a girl who is a warrior, who is trained, and who is, in the end, a killer, and the killing is the body, and the body is the dance, and the dance is the acting.

The fifth thing is the Emmy nominations, and what they meant. Williams earned Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, for Game of Thrones, and the nominations are the proof that she was not just a child actress, but a serious actress, a woman who could hold her own in a cast of adults, and who could do it, season after season, for eight years. The nominations matter because they are official, they are the television industry’s way of saying that Williams is great, and the saying is deserved, because the performance is great, because Arya is great, and because the girl who played her grew up to be a woman who could carry a series, and the carrying is the achievement.

The sixth thing is The Falling, and the film actress. Williams played Lydia in The Falling, a schoolgirl in the 1960s, and the performance was praised, because it showed that she could carry a film, that she could play a leading role, and that she was not just Arya, but an actress. The film is a drama about adolescence, about friendship, and Williams’s Lydia is a girl who is passionate, who is difficult, and who is, in many ways, a portrait of a teenager who is growing up, and the growing up is the theme of her early career, a girl who is growing up on screen, in Game of Thrones, in The Falling, and in life, all at once, and the three together are the story of a young actress who is learning her craft in public, and who is learning it well.

The seventh thing is The New Mutants, and the superhero. Williams played Rahne Sinclair, a mutant who turns into a wolf, a girl who is religious, who is afraid, who is in love, and she played her with a seriousness, a commitment, that the film, which was delayed for years, did not always deserve, and the commitment is the mark of a professional, a woman who does the work, whatever the film. The role matters because it shows Williams in a franchise, in a Marvel film, in a role that is global, and it proves that she could work in Hollywood, in a big-budget film, and hold her own, and the holding is the proof of her star power, that a girl from Clutton can be a Marvel hero, and that the audience will believe her.

The eighth thing is Pistol, and the punk. Williams played Pamela Rooke, known as Jordan, a fashion icon, a woman who worked in Vivienne Westwood’s shop, and she played her with a relish, a enjoyment, that is obvious: she enjoys being Jordan, she enjoys the costumes, she enjoys the music, and the enjoyment is the performance. The role matters because it shows Williams in a period drama, in the 1970s, in London, in a world of punk, and the period is the challenge, and she meets it, with a style, a wit, that Jordan never needed, and the style is the point: Williams is a fashion-conscious actress, a woman who understands clothes, who understands image, and who uses them, in Pistol, to make Jordan a person, not a costume.

The ninth thing is The New Look, and Catherine Dior. Williams played Catherine Dior, the sister of Christian Dior, a woman who was in the French Resistance, who was arrested, who was tortured, and who survived, and she played her with a gravity, a seriousness, that the role demanded, and the gravity is the proof of her maturity, that she is no longer a child actress, but a woman, an actress who can play a historical figure, and make her a person. The series was a success, and it proved that Williams could work in a prestige drama, next to Ben Mendelsohn and Juliette Binoche, and hold her own, and the holding is the proof of her talent, and of her growth, from a girl in Winterfell to a woman in Paris.

The tenth thing is the stage, and I and You. Williams made her stage debut in 2018, in a play at the Hampstead Theatre, playing Caroline, a teenage girl who is ill, and the performance was praised, because it showed that she could act on stage, in front of a live audience, without a camera, without a cut, and hold a room, for two hours, with only another actor. The stage matters because it is the hardest place for an actor, a place where there is no second take, and Williams’s willingness to take it on, at twenty-one, after Game of Thrones, shows her ambition, her desire to learn, to grow, and to prove that she is an actress, not just a television star. The play was a success, and it gave her a reputation as a stage actress, and the reputation is the reason the audience hopes she will return to the stage.

The eleventh thing is Daisie, and the entrepreneur. Williams co-founded Daisie, a social networking app for creatives, in 2018, and the company is a statement, a young actress who is not just an actress, but an entrepreneur, a woman who understands the internet, who understands that artists need a place to meet, and who built it. Daisie matters because it shows Williams as a businesswoman, a woman who thinks about the industry, about how artists work, and about how to make it better, and the thinking is the mark of a serious person, a woman who is not just a face, but a mind, and the mind is the reason Daisie exists. The company also shows her independence, her willingness to do something that is not acting, to take a risk, and the risk is the story of her whole career.

The twelfth thing is the privacy, and the boundary she keeps. Williams keeps her private life private, she does not share it on social media in detail, and she lets the work speak, and the choice is a statement: the actress is not the gossip, and the gossip is not the art. She has spoken about the difficulty of growing up in public, about the pressure, about the need for privacy, and about the importance of family and friends, and the honesty is refreshing, because a young woman who is famous, who is photographed, and who keeps her private life private, is a woman who knows the difference between being watched and being known, and who chooses to be known by her work.

The thirteenth thing is the voice, and how it carries the performance. Williams’s voice is English, it is West Country, it is warm, and it can be funny and sad in the same scene. In Game of Thrones the voice is the voice of a girl who is growing up, who is learning, who is becoming a killer, and in The New Look the voice is the voice of a woman who is brave, who is a survivor, and each voice is different, and each voice is hers. The voice is the instrument, and Williams plays it well, and the audience hears the difference between the two women even before it sees them, which is a kind of acting that the camera cannot fake.

The fourteenth thing is the future, and what it might hold. Williams is in her late twenties, she has a global audience, she has a serious acting career, she has a company, and she has the freedom to choose, and the choices she has made suggest that she will keep choosing difficult roles, keep working in film and television and theatre, and keep building a career that is hers. The audience should expect more films like The New Look, more women who are complicated, more performances that ask the audience to think, and the expectation is a happy one, because Williams has earned it. The girl from Clutton who played Arya became an actress, and the becoming is not over.

The fifteenth thing is the influence, and how it is already visible. Young actresses cite Williams as an influence, young girls see that a girl from a village can become Arya Stark, can become a global star, and the seeing is the influence. The influence is not a matter of copying; it is a matter of permission, of Williams giving other artists permission to be young and serious, to be a dancer and an actress, to be themselves. The permission is the gift, and it is a gift that will last longer than any single series, because it changes what other artists believe is possible.

The sixteenth thing is the legacy so far, and what it will be. Williams’s legacy is Arya Stark, a character who is now part of television history, a girl who becomes a killer, a survivor, a hero, and who is played by a young actress who grew up on screen, and the growing up is the legacy, and it will last. The legacy is not complete, because she is only twenty-eight, and the best work may still be ahead, but the beginning is promising, and the promise is the point. The audience that watches Game of Thrones now still believes in Arya, and the audience that watches The New Look still remembers Catherine, and the believing and the remembering are the legacy, and they will last.

The seventeenth thing, and the last, is the lesson. Williams’s career says that a girl who goes to an audition on a teacher’s suggestion can become a global star, that a dancer can become an actress, and that the work, done patiently, is the way. She danced, she auditioned, she played Arya, she played Lydia, she played Rahne, she played Catherine, she founded Daisie, and she never stopped, and the never stopping is the point. The lesson is not that talent will always be recognised, but that the work, done with honesty and with a willingness to take risks, is its own reward, and that the reward, when it comes, is deserved. Williams’s reward has begun to come, in the form of Emmy nominations, of film roles, of a company, of a career that is hers, and the audience that watches her now knows that it is watching a young actress who is becoming a great one, and that the becoming was earned, in Clutton, in Belfast, in Winterfell, and in every role where she refused to be only Arya and became an actress instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who did Maisie Williams play in Game of Thrones?

She played Arya Stark, the youngest daughter of Ned Stark, from 2011 to 2019 for eight seasons, a girl who becomes a survivor and a killer, and who kills the Night King in the Battle of Winterfell.

Where was Maisie Williams born?

She was born on 15 April 1997 in Bristol, England, as Margaret Constance Williams, and she grew up in Clutton, a village in Somerset, studying dance at Bath Dance College.

How was Maisie Williams cast in Game of Thrones?

She went to an audition on the suggestion of her dance teacher, having never acted before, and she was cast as Arya Stark at the age of twelve, a role she played until she was twenty-two.

Who did Maisie Williams play in The New Mutants?

She played Rahne Sinclair, known as Wolfsbane, a young mutant who can turn into a wolf, in the Marvel film The New Mutants from 2020, a girl who is religious, afraid of her powers, and in love.

What is Daisie?

Daisie is a social networking app for creatives that Williams co-founded in 2018, a platform where artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers can share work, collaborate and find each other.

Who did Maisie Williams play in The New Look?

She played Catherine Dior, the sister of Christian Dior, a French Resistance fighter who was arrested and tortured and survived, in the Apple TV+ series The New Look from 2024.