What are your biggest struggles while on the set of the show Game of Thrones?
Very long hours. Because I love to sleep. I like sleeping more than most of my siblings. So staying awake and working long, long hours is very difficult.
Have you had one of those “I can’t stop laughing” moments on the GOT set? If so, what was so funny?
The one time was in series 3, episode 8, when I was supposed to laugh anyway – when Arya cracked up laughing at the news of her dead aunt – and I was watching funny videos on my phone, so I giggled endlessly, and they liked it, and so did the audience.
At what point did you realize that Game of Thrones was becoming a huge deal?
Season 3. At the season 3 premiere, we went to the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, and stepping out of the car, with hundreds of people screaming my name, is when I realized that this show completely changed my life. It was very, very daunting – I found it quite scary – but it happened gradually, so I had time to get used to it.
Hi Maisie, thanks for doing this AMA. What’s been the biggest change in your life since starting Game of Thrones? Also, which cast member is most like their character on the show?
Being recognized in the street. I used to enjoy being quite anonymous, and now I have to kind of be aware that people know who I am sometimes.
Rory is quite similar to The Hound before breakfast, in that, if he hasn’t eaten, he’s kind of grumpy! haha! But I love ‘im regardless.
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Are you and Rory McCann really good friends still? I hope we have not seen the last of the Hound!
We are very close friends. I saw him when I was at the SAG awards at the week-end, and it was really nice to see him again, and I hope that’s not the last I see of him.
You have any souvenirs from the show at home?
I have sneakily removed some of the Faceless Man coins from set. And they have gone missing. And I have NO idea where they went!
Hi Maisie, Do you still have contact with/see/visit the wolf from book 1 of game of thrones (Nymeria i think)?
I don’t get to see the dogs anymore. But after my dog (who played Nymeria) finished playing Nymeria, she actually went on to play Shaggy Dog, and they dyed her. She was the best behaved dog out of all of them, so she ended up playing all the other wolves, even though she was mine originally. Yeah. It’s cool!
Hello Maisie, has there been a scene so far in Game of Thrones that was particularly difficult?
There’s actually a scene in the coming season… which was my most difficult scene to film. And I think fans are going to be really excited about it. More emotional than we’ve seen Arya in previous seasons.
I’m curious how people handle children/minors on the set of a TV series with so much adult content. Is there a lot of separation between the parts you film and other parts? Are you allowed to watch GoT?
I’m allowed to watch the show. I’m not around when they shoot the more adult scenes. But yeah, I watch the show, I enjoy it, and I feel like I’m a bit of a fan of the show.
What would your personal house sigil and house words be?
I’ve answered this question before! My sigil would be a tortoise, and my saying would be “Go hard or go home” because your shell is hard, and it’s also your home, so …
Stannis!
One Realm!
One God!
One King!
My question:
Whose eyebrows would win a fight?
Yours?
Lena’s?
Emilia’s? (For you Jent)
These questions and more will be answered at fleabottom.net.
Hi, I am the assistant admin of the GoT Wiki. And I’m hungover.
Lena, clearly – you don’t play Sarah Connor and not learn some dirty survivor tricks.
Arya havin’ a larf?,
But emilia has also played sarah connor….
Maisie, when do you plan on playing sarah connor?
Rygar, finally you have changed your name agaiN But no penisjoke, so how can we be sure it’s really you? :p
“I’m not around when they shoot the more adult scenes.”
Maisie, you shoot scenes where you kill people. Those are adult scenes. Or at least I hope that murder is not now accepted as a normal activity for kids.
Love her! Glad she’s staying so grounded, with all of her success. Or is it only the Hollywood kids that become train wrecks? Maisie and Sophie seem to be handling all of this VERY well. Cheers to them!
Ashara D,
Look how well the Harry Potter kids turned out. Only one was a problem child. I definitely think the Hollywood lifestyle is detrimental to child actors although there are a few success stories. It’s sad that there are more bad stories than good though.
On this side of the water “more adult” = scenes of a sexual nature. Its only the US that views graphic violence as less taboo onscreen than rumpy pumpy (viz TV sex has to be done by Hollywood with knickers and a nightie on).
“You’re 17! That’s too young to know about sex (eeeeew!). Now here, take this gun, we’re going to go and kill some people.”
Annara Snow,
Not trying to be rude but literally everything I have ever seen you write online has been opposition for it’s own sake – it is ridiculous. What is the deal? Why do you come across as so nasty? On the leaked script thread on FB where you made fun of everyone (and now the S5 Trailer has confirmed bunches of it) I pointed this out as well, but didn’t get a response. My point is: do you truly not understand what is meant by “adult” scene here?
You beat me to it! I need to be on my toes with this site. Everyone steals my lines when it comes to Ry making the eyebrow contest!!!! First Jent, now you.
I saw the trailer for Terminator Genisys at the Imax Screening last night. I didn’t yell Khaleeeeeeeeesiiiiii but I so could have. Eyebrows were kicking ass even there.
You really have a problem with people having different opinions than you, do you? Guess what – there are actually opinions different than yours. It’s not just “opposition for opposition’s sake”, because your opinion is the only right one and no one could really disagree with it. Why are you on the Internet? You better stay away from it – it’s full of people with opinions different from yours.
I’m really amused that you’re so shocked by the idea that some people find that the mindset that “teenagers + sex = bad, teenagers + murder = perfectly fine ” is absurd. This may come as a big surprise to you, but there are lots of people who feel that way.
And if this is you not trying to be rude… I guess it just comes naturally to you.
Annara Snow,
1. No, I don’t have a problem with people having different opinions.
2. Yes, I know there are people with different opinions.
3. It is nonsensical to say that every comment you’ve made on the internet is not “opposition for opposition’s sake” because my opinion is the only right one re: one comment. This is absolutely a pattern for you.
4. I am on the internet because I wish to be – I won’t be staying away.
5. I doubt your amused at all.
6. I’m not failing, because what I would actually like to say is much, much worse.
So if at any point you want to address the fact that you come across as incredibly nasty, all the time, I suggest you do so without trying to turn it around and attack me. I would be shocked to see a post where your actually being nice, for example.
Long live Syrio!
Was this Maisie’s replies word for word? Copied and pasted? Was Season 4 when Lysa died.
Love Maisie Williams, though!
AndrewAlastair,
Pointing out a double standard of the treatment of violence vs. erotic isn’t being rude for the sake of it, it’s a serious problem.
Some great answers from Maisie. In this as elsewhere, she comes across as a positive, fun person who is passionate about her character.
I personally enjoy reading Annara’s posts. They don’t come across as nasty to me. I expect that part of the reason why Annara’s posts seem very reasonable to me is that I almost always agree with what she’s saying. Just like the other matters mentioned, it’s subjective.
Abyss,
If it is a serious problem, why would the comments section of a watchers on the wall post be deemed an appropriate place to tackle the issue? All Ivana did was attack the wording of a response – a response where everyone knew what was being discussed, and what wasn’t. Which is not to say that I think there isn’t a double standard when it comes to sex and violence, because there is. That’s not really the point I’m making.
Estelindis,
Well I respect your opinion and I am glad for your enjoyment, you know?
I would suggest that even if you agree with what is being said in many instances, there are a lot of times where she is just straight up making fun of people. There was a Sansa thread on Westeros.org last night where she did this. I listened to a Game of Owns podcast earlier this week where she wrote in to tell them their opinions weren’t valid for one reason or another. There was the aforementioned Facebook thread where she made fun of everyone on the thread for believing this guy had a leaked script, which is now all but 100% confirmed. There are many examples of such nastiness, and that is why I wrote what I wrote.
Um, why not? We had serious discussions for as long as I can remember (which is a big reason why I like it here) and I have been with this community for a pretty long time.
She didn’t “attack”, she only pointed out a problem with it. – She is right you know, Maisie is around when they shoot very adult scenes. And no, not everybody knows from the very start what it means when you say “adult scene”. From my experience it’s mostly in the USA were it pretty much means “erotic content”. For example Germany is usual very open when it comes to erotic stuff, I know that first hand, because I live there. Showing boobs probably will get you a rating for 12 years and up here, under certain circumstances not even that.
Abyss,
This is getting far away from what I came here to say. There are several reasons a truly serious conversation deserves a more appropriate venue. I’m not sure if I understand your last point, it sounds like your saying you didn’t understand what Maisie was talking about, which I doubt, but is not impossible. In any case, as I said previously, your correct re: the double standard for violence and sex.
Annara Snow’s penis is gigantic.
I, for one, have always found Annara Snow’s posts interesting and insightful.
Star-kids who turn out badly often had a short success (a one-off). The HP child actors, as well as the GoT are so taken care of by a crew that becomes a family that they dont really evolve in a context that would turn them as assholes.
Lex,
I am just going to copy and paste what I wrote to Estelindis:
“Well I respect your opinion and I am glad for your enjoyment, you know?
I would suggest that even if you agree with what is being said in many instances, there are a lot of times where she is just straight up making fun of people. There was a Sansa thread on Westeros.org last night where she did this. I listened to a Game of Owns podcast earlier this week where she wrote in to tell them their opinions weren’t valid for one reason or another. There was the aforementioned Facebook thread where she made fun of everyone on the thread for believing this guy had a leaked script, which is now all but 100% confirmed. There are many examples of such nastiness, and that is why I wrote what I wrote.”
AndrewAlastair,
Well, I will admit that sometimes I get things wrong, comes with dealing with your second language, but usually I understand everything just fine.
Maisie was talking about that scenes with erotic stuff are adult content on the set of GoT, but scenes with violence are apparently not, because she is allowed to be around when these are filmed. – That (for me) is a double standard, killing someone in the way it’s done in GoT is far more “adult content” than some erotic.
You were saying that “everyone knew what was being discussed” and I told you that the definition of what is and isn’t “adult content” is different from place to place, so no, that might not be the case.
As for the truly serious conversations, I simply disagree. A fan site about GoT is a good place for any conversation that comes up in the context of the show, as long as the mods don’t think it’s not appropriate in some way and shut it down.
Abyss,
So are you saying that you did or did not know what adult content meant here? If you are just saying that hypothetically someone might be confused, that is an exceptionally weak point. Hypothetically someone might construe adult content to mean going to work.
I remember watching Jerry beat the shit out of Tom every day after kindergarten. However, I do not recall Jerry ever attempting to or actually fuck Tom.
AndrewAlastair,
I did understand it, but someone who is not familiar with this definition of “adult content” might not, someone from a different place then the US for example. – Anyway, that really isn’t the main point here. The point is, that it shows that the double standard of violence vs. erotic doesn’t exist in that many counties (if it did, then maybe it could have some universal ground).
In short: Many people find it very strange that a double standard for violence vs. erotic exists, especially in a case in which the violence is being involved in (playing) brutally murder people and the erotic is seeing some nudity as a 17 years old girl. As I said, I don’t find it being rude for the sake of it to point that double standard out.
Abyss,
Well, I disagree with you. If the person asking the question, the person answering the question, and everyone discussing it understand adult content to mean erotic content I think that it is pointlessly oppositional to inject a discussion of violence, and I think it is sort of insulting to Maisie. She is answering the question, not making a statement about violence. To return to my point, I would ask you what you think of the examples of Ivana’s rudeness I described to Lex or Eselindis?
Rygar,
Did you see that episode where Wile-E-Coyote finally caught Roadrunner? Nasty!
AndrewAlastair,
What are you trying to achieve here, Andrew? It’s your opinion that it’s oppositional to “inject ” a serious discussion into this thread . It’s your opinion than Annara comes across as nasty. Stop trying to convince everyone with your watertight logic and well thought out arguments – you’re the one who comes across as rude, tendentious, hectoring almost . Just drop it. This isn’t your website, you can’t dictate to people what they can and can’t talk about . It’s like you’ve come here just to criticise, you’re not actually contributing anything constructive. Move on man.
I have never asserted I am expressing something other than my opinion.
I am not going to drop it.
This is not my website.
Actually I came here to read the article.
I am not going to move on, man.
AndrewAlastair,
I don’t care what she said on westeros.org or facebook.
So don’t talk about. I do care, so I will talk about it, you know?
AndrewAlastair,
First things first, I’m not insulting Maisie here. All she did was stating that she isn’t allowed for certain adult scenes, and I agree with you on one thing, she is not making a statement here. If I had to guess I would say that she doesn’t believe that violence is more problematic for teenagers then erotic. I say that, because she grew up in England were, as far as I’m aware, people are pretty open about nudity, but I could be wrong here, I do not know what Maisie’s believes on the matter are. What I do know is that her saying what she said means that someone made a statement on the matter.
As for Annara Snow’s (I think you wrote the wrong name) rudeness, I think I remember a discussion with her a while back were I found her rude, but you know, you thinking someone being rude to you in the past does not invalidate his or her points in the future. I agree with her now, when she makes the joke:
And when it comes to what she said somewhere else, at a different time, in a different context I side with Lex,
Abyss,
Well I actually think with that last statement we are on the same page. I agree re: the double standard for violence and erotica, and you remember Annara being rude. I feel like this is a much tighter resolution than typical disagreements on the Internet achieve; I feel good about it.
AndrewAlastair,
You see! We are all one big, happy GoT-family! Sometimes we disagree with each other, sometimes someone things some else is rude, but at the end of the day it’s all about dick jokes, provided to as by our wise presbyter Rygar here in the church of gates and obsession.
I commend everyone officially for disagreeing and argu(ment)ing the issue in a civilized manner. Hooray for our community, keep it that way, folks 😉
In her scenes, she doesn’t actually kill people, you know? It probably looks more violent on screen. But in other scenes, people actually take their clothes off. That’s the difference, especially since Maisie was around eleven year old when she started.
Young Dragon,
I don’t want to start that all again, especially I finally found some ground with AndrewAlastair, but it’s obvious that Annara Snow is being sarcastic here. 😉
In regards to at what age exactly younger actors should be allowed on set when erotic content is filmed, if they wish to be, that is a different discussion. I personally think, a 17+ years old girl can handle some naked people, who, at the worst case, do some fake humpy pumpy. 😉
Arkash,
Arkash,
its more than just a crew that acts like a family though, its about having an actual good family as well not to mention with agot and hp none of the kids live or work in LA. england is definitely better than LA. oh and who was a “problem child” from hp? never realized there was one
#words of wisdom
Abyss,
She might be able to handle it, but would it be legal?
Young Dragon,
Under NI law (or what ever law HBO has to follow)? I don’t know. Maybe not (we are not talking pornographic content here, that would be a clear no, of cause), but just because something is the law doesn’t mean there can’t be problems with double standards. 😉
futtbucker,
River Phoenix called LA the “bad, bad town”. With good reason.
I’m hoping that the “emotional” scene involves
Now that Sophie and Emilia have been cast in big blockbusters it’s time Maisie was given a role! Hurry up and get that Last of Us movie moving already.
AndrewAlastair,
Annara Snow definitely made fun of my Sansa + Ramsey theory, but she’s still one of my favorite commenters. Sure, she has strong ideas about things. So do I. It’s cool. I certainly wouldn’t describe anything I’ve read from her as “nasty.”
Blind Beth,
That is not the thread I was referring to, as I have never read a Sansa and Ramsay theory. I do believe that she behaved mockingly towards it, as she does. Just look into some of the examples I mentioned above (which I encountered all of in the past week) a bit or keep an eye out in the future and you will see what I am talking about.
Daisuke,
Lol,says the one who tries to stop a conversation which has actual points that you didn’t even bother to address like you are some big shot in here,talk about ironic. Newsflash buddy,it’s not your site either,people can talk whatever they want to talk about,it’s a free country .
I can’t wait until Arya stabs Stannis to death and shits on his corpse.
Payback’s a bitch, leech fucker!
Oh come off it already, both of you.
AS is a’ight. The Yin to our Wangs.
Rygar,
I see what you did there.
I do still maintain my position – somewhere in between Jester’s “terrible person” and your “aight”. I do not think the way she talks to people is aight.
AndrewAlastair,
And I do not think that Sue and I will ever have sex but I’m over it and I sure as hell don’t whine about it.
Rygar,
You leave people alone (at the Crag) for five minutes and boom goes the dynamite. Some five minutes will be your five minutes, have faith!
Laura,
Arya with superpowers? The Lannisters better watch out!
Nice video. It’s great to see the younger actors in other projects.