Winter is coming, and with it, more screen time for our fave fictional TV sisters, Sansa and Arya Stark on “Game of Thrones.”
The slaying Stark sibs are played by Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams, who just so happen to be as close as sisters off-screen. They hang out IRL, have matching “07.08.09” tattoos on their forearms (the date they landed their “GOT” roles), and Williams is even set to be a bridesmaid when Turner weds Joe Jonas later this year.
Those Stark girls, they stick together!
In honor of the return of “Game of Thrones” for Season 8 on April 14, we’ve rounded up 11 of the pair’s funniest, most candid quotes about their friendship and their work filming the show.
Sophie on Maisie
On their different, complementary personalities:
“I’ve always seen Maisie as this rebellious, cool kid, while I’m more passive-aggressive, or else just passive. I hate that about myself, and I love that Maisie is just who she is. We spent the past five years basically sharing a hotel room (even though we each had our own), having endless sleepovers, lots of line rehearsals, and lots of food and messing about, too.” ― Nylon magazine, May 2016
On what it was like shooting together on ‘Game of Thrones’
“Our first scene together was our reunion scene and we f—ed up so many times. We couldn’t keep a straight face! Our relationship is so close, but it’s only that fun side, never the business side. I was nervous. It just terrified me. It’s like performing for your mom. When somebody is watching, you don’t do it quite as well. But in the long run I think it benefits us because we can be free with each other in our acting. We’re not afraid to go there with each other because we feel so comfortable around each other.” ― Entertainment Weekly, August 2017
On protecting each other in the era of Me Too
“Maisie is definitely my protector and I’m hers, too. I know if anything happened — especially if it was on ‘Game Of Thrones,’ which it never, ever would — she’d go fucking crazy and protect me. To have a sister there, a woman who gets how degrading and awful it can be, and how you’re expected to be so submissive in your work, can be very comforting. Maisie is my strong home.” ― Glamour UK, March 2019
On basically being a couple
“People always think Maisie and I are a couple. I mean, I am obsessed with her, so you never know. She’s my drug. I’ve got an addiction to Maisie Williams. I actually stalk her hashtag on Instagram!” ― Glamour UK, March 2019
On being totally in sync
“We’ve helped each other through a lot of mental-health problems, especially around body image. She’s been my crutch in that, and I’ve been hers because it seems everything she goes through, I go through. You know when girls are together a long time, their periods sync up? It’s like our emotions and personalities sync up, too.” ― Glamour UK, March 2019
On their ideal girls’ night in
“We’re kind of like loners on ‘Game of Thrones,’ just because the past few seasons Maisie and I have sleepovers every night when we’re shooting or every night whenever both of us are in town! We just used to sit there and eat and watch stupid videos and smoke weed. I don’t know if my publicist will kill me for saying this! We’d get high and then we’d sit in the bath together and we’d rub makeup brushes on our faces. It’s fun!” –– a panel interview at New York Comic Con 2018
Maisie on Sophie
On meeting for the first time
“I thought Sophie was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I get why they do chemistry reads, because when it’s right, it’s so right. Like, we’re best friends. And they could see that all those years ago, and it must have been real magic watching these two girls have the best time together.” ― Rolling Stone, March 2019
On working together
“It’s funny because she’s so not like Sansa in real life. She’s a great lass, and we both like the same things. And then on screen, we have our little arguments and things, so you get to see a different side of each other. In real life, I’ve never seen the side of Sophie where she says, ‘Oh, you’re an idiot.’ But I didn’t find it difficult to hate Sophie on screen — I mean, I love her to pieces — but I didn’t find it a challenge, really, as an actress.” ― HBO.com interview, 2011
On supporting each other’s mental health
“I can’t tell you the amount of times Sophie said, ‘Go to therapy,’ before I actually did. She really helped me through some messy break-ups and some friend break-ups. Whenever I’m like, ‘I need help! This is bigger than anything I can sort out on my own,’ Sophie is my point of call. I think therapy is so important. You should absolutely speak to someone, even if in your head you go, ‘Yeah, I knew that!’” ― Glamour UK, March 2019
On their sisterly bond
“It’s nice to have her going through this industry and someone who just completely gets it. It’s really lovely to have someone hold my hand through all of it. She’s like my big sister.” ― an interview with “This Morning,” January 2017
On having a best friend
“Ms. Sophie Turner. My best friend, indeed. It’s been so nice having someone of a similar age — and gender — to go through this crazy life together, because it is really strange growing up in front of the public. To have someone in the darkest times that you can call, that knows exactly what you’re going through … just keeps you sane.” ― interview with Jimmy Fallon, March 2017
