It’s hard to admit that one day we’ll have to cope without the tough warrior Arya Stark in our lives, but it’s a truth we’re going to have to get used to as the end of Game Of Thrones looms ever closer.
Maisie Williams has revealed what it was like to finally let go of the character she has played for the last eight years, and surprisingly she says it felt ‘right’.
In an interview with S Magazine, the actress said while she was ready to wrap up on Game Of Thrones, the shooting of the whole of season 8 had been ‘really, really emotional’.
‘When I came to shoot my final scene, I had already watched a lot of people wrap and seen all the tears and heard all the speeches,’ she explained.
‘It was just a really beautiful day, and a really great final scene for me. It felt like the right time to say goodbye to Arya.’
From what we can gather, it sounds like Arya ends the Game Of Thrones series on a high note and doesn’t fall victim to the Whitewalkers who – as we saw from the trailer for season 8 – have made their way down as far as Winterfell.
Of course, this could all be a trick to throw us off the scent of what Westeros really has in store for the youngest Stark girl.
The trailer didn’t offer much hope for Arya, as we saw her running around Winterfell while we hear her voice say, ‘I know death. It’s got many faces, I look forward to seeing this one’.
Whether Arya is talking about her own death or the death she is to inflict on others remains to be seen.
Maisie began playing Arya when she was just 13-years-old, and has grown up on the Game Of Thrones set.
Speaking on the cast and crew she has worked with for the past eight years, she continued: ‘The calibre of actors I’ve been able to work with on the show has been such a high standard. It’s not every day you get to work with actors like that, and I was surrounded by them from such a young age.
‘It’s just been so beneficial to me. Everything that I do and everything that I’ve learned is from watching people.’
Lena Headey, who plays Cersei Lannister and – like Maisie – is one of the original cast members to survive through to season 8, has been a stalwart for the young actress.
‘Lena has always treated me like a young adult. Even when I was a kid, she never treated me as one.’ she added.
‘I really loved that, because it was such a weird world; one week, I was at school having to raise my hand to ask to go to the toilet, and the next week we’re with fans signing autographs. She just respected me’.
No, you’re crying.
Game Of Thrones season 8 premieres on 14 April on HBO in the US and 15 April on Sky Atlantic in the UK.
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