Maisie Williams: ‘I’d be lying if I said I never worry about my looks’

SHE may star in one of the most popular television shows on the planet, but Maisie Williams will never bow to the pressures of Hollywood.

MAISIE Williams is perched on the edge of an oversized armchair. The plump cushions dwarf her tiny frame, and as she reaches forward to take a sip of milky tea they threaten to envelop her — and her towering Miu Miu heels — completely.

But the girl the world knows as Arya Stark isn’t about to let anything, cushions or otherwise, stop her from getting her point across. “I think people assume if you’re an actress you have it all figured out, you’re confident and completely love yourself,” the 20-year-old tells Stellar.

“But it’s really all a facade. Everyone everywhere has insecurities about the way they look and the way they are.”

It’s hard to imagine that Williams, who plays the fearless, feisty Stark in Game Of Thrones, might have insecurities. She won the role of Stark — her first acting part — when she was just 12 years old, and the show has gone on to become one of the most successful television programs in the world. But growing up on-screen hasn’t always been easy for the petite, pale-skinned girl from Bristol in the UK.

“I’d be lying if I said I never worried about the way I look,” she admits. “I like to try and live my life with the way I look not controlling my every move. As soon as you go down that path, which I get dragged into every now and then, it ends up driving you a little bit mental.”

Williams began her acting career as Arya Stark on Game of Thrones when she was 12 years old.

Williams’s acting chops are certainly in no doubt. She has earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress and took out the sci-fi Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor, but the imminent end of Game Of Thrones next year has forced her to give serious thought to where she fits in Hollywood.

“I’ve been trying to put a nail in what sort of actress I am,” she says. “I’ve discovered that if I start to worry about my vanity over the substance of my character, I’ll drive myself insane. So I try to steer away from it — for myself, but also because there’s cooler characters.”

Her CV backs this up: the “shy and introverted” Rahne in the upcoming X-Men movie The New Mutants, and the other-worldly Ashildr in Doctor Who both appealed to Williams because “they are real women that aren’t just eye candy. There’s something more out there now. I’m glad to be a part of that”.

She believes there’s been a shift in Hollywood, which has enabled actors who don’t fit the stereotypical mould to have successful careers. “I think things have changed,” she nods. “Now I can think, ‘OK, I’m going to have a career without worrying about the way I look.’ There was a time when that wouldn’t have been possible.”

Her latest role, as the voice of goofy football fan Goona in the new Nick Park animated film Early Man — a comedy about Bronze Age cavemen — epitomises the woman she wants to represent. “She’s a girl who has a dream that’s nothing to do with kissing a prince or being the fairest or the most beautiful — but all to do with her skills, talent, passion and her drive,” she says. “It’s lovely to see a young girl being portrayed in an unusual way in a kids’ film. It’s so important.”

With Early Man co-stars Tom Hiddleston (left) and Eddie Redmayne at the London premiere in January. (Pic: Getty Images)

Williams’s strong feminist stance has led to some predictable umbrage on social media. “People really have an issue with the word ‘feminist’ because they think it’s linked with man hating,” she sighs. “We don’t even have to call it feminism — it’s just life. If you don’t believe in equal rights between the sexes, then what the f*ck are you even doing?”

The experience has left her wary about what she says in public. “I don’t really believe people ever truly wanted to upset me, but being famous doesn’t mean you’re completely bulletproof,” she says. “It hurts when people say nasty things. I’ll choose to fight any day of the week, and I want to leave this world having changed something, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready for the 24/7 flack that comes with speaking out about touchy subjects. I’ve learnt to pick my battles.”

It’s not the first time Williams has been bullied; when she first appeared in Game Of Thrones and was still at school, she received abusive messages from her classmates on social-network site Formspring.

“I went through a phase where it was like the worst days of my life,” she says. “The sad thing is, I feel like everyone in my generation has experienced it once or twice.” She chose to star in the film Cyberbully to raise awareness of the sometimes insidious internet culture, and she hopes to shine a light on youth issues with Daisy Chain Productions, a company she set up with her friend, producer Dom Santry. “There are so many amazing filmmakers on YouTube or Vimeo,” she says. “We’ve just shot our first short film. There are things I want to make and stories I want to tell.”

Maisie Williams features in Stellar magazine.

Despite her eagerness to be involved in all sides of the film industry, Williams isn’t chasing fame. “I don’t let it come in to my normal life at all,” she says. “None of my close friends are fussed [about me being famous]. It’s quite nice really. I love my career and I’m so thrilled to be an actress, but recently I’ve realised it’s not my whole life.”

She credits her mum Hilary, who is a breast-cancer survivor, with helping her keep a level head. “My mum is the best ever. She’s forever kept me very grounded. We live a very normal life when we’re back home. I spend a lot of time there; nothing’s changed and it’s lovely. All this [acting] is wonderful and I love it — but it’s not everything.”

She met her boyfriend of nearly three years, Ollie Jackson, at school and says her relationship has made her realise there’s more to life than work. “There are things I want to achieve personally. There are places I want to see. There are things I want to learn for myself about the world. I’ve got a dual life.”

For now, Williams is keen to make her mark outside of Game Of Thrones. “I feel like there was a time when myself and Arya were very similar,” she says. “Now I’ve grown up and I’m a very different girl — which you’d hope because Arya is kind of awful. While I find that sort of drama very interesting, it would be great to do some comedy.” She pauses. “Or play someone in a dress. I wouldn’t mind doing that.”

Early Man is in cinemas on March 29 in VIC and April 12 in NSW.

Originally published as Maisie Williams: ‘I’d be lying if I said I never worry about my looks’