Maisie Williams Addresses Rumors of an Arya Stark Spinoff in Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams is contemplating a potential return to her role as Arya Stark.
During an interview with the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper on Sunday, September 6, Williams, 29, expressed her awareness of reports about HBO working on a project focused on her character.
“I saw that, too! I was like, ‘Huh?’” she remarked.
However, when asked if the potential project would motivate her to step back into Arya’s shoes, Williams stated, “I don’t know, really. She would have to be developed in some way because I feel like I’ve changed so much, and I feel like what people loved about Arya was that she was always a child engaging in actions that were quite adult-like.”
Williams was just 12 years old when she was cast as Arya in Game of Thrones, spending much of her formative years on the set of the acclaimed fantasy series.
In the discussion, she revealed that the early part of her 20s was particularly challenging as she moved on from Arya.
“The first half of my 20s was just hell, but I think that might be the case for many people,” she shared. “I think that has more to do with the fact that Game of Thrones was concluding, and I was uncertain about my next steps. I really needed a break, to be honest. Then there was also the added pressure of dealing with late teenage awkwardness while figuring a lot of things out, which I didn’t feel I could tackle earlier. Not to mention COVID and an industry strike.”
Since the conclusion of Game of Thrones in 2019, HBO has introduced two spinoff series, House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Additionally, Warner Bros. is working on a movie spinoff provisionally titled Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest.
Williams’ former co-star, Kit Harington, was also previously in discussions to reprise his role as Jon Snow in a Game of Thrones sequel that ultimately did not come to fruition.
Harington acknowledged at the Motor City Comic Con in May, “It’s common knowledge that we tried to create a Jon Snow show for a while and just couldn’t make it happen,” as reported by ScreenRant.
“My main concern is not wanting to return and do an injustice to the character. As I’ve mentioned, I think he had a solid ending. He went where he was meant to be. So, if we were to revisit him, it would need to be for the right reasons,” the actor elaborated.
He continued, “However, I did believe there was more to explore, and I thought a project focusing primarily on him could be quite intriguing. Remember, in Game of Thrones, you’re part of a vast ensemble, and it would be interesting to delve deeper into a character-centric story. That’s why I was interested, but we couldn’t find the right project and decided to set it aside for now.”
