Maisie Williams on playing a punk legend in Pistol and why she can’t wait for House of the Dragon

Game Of Thrones star Maisie Williams reveals how she learned some life lessons from the punk icon she plays in Pistol, and why she’s excited to see House of the Dragon.

It’s a long way from the wilds of Westeros to the mean London streets of the fledgling punk movement, but Game Of Thrones star Maisie Williams had a familiar face to share the journey on Pistol.

Williams, best known as the noble-born child assassin Arya Stark on the hit HBO fantasy-drama, appears alongside Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who played the psychically gifted Jojen Reed, in Danny Boyle’s new-six part biographical drama that traces the rise and fall of seminal UK punk act The Sex Pistols.

And though their two characters never crossed paths in GoT – Reed died in season four and Night King slaying Arya made it right to the end – the pair had a common scene partner in Isaac Hempstead-Wright’s Bran Stark and Williams still has fond teenage memories of dragging them both along to her favourite restaurant, Pizza Express.

Filming Pistol, however, was a very different proposition – instead of the huge set pieces and fantastical beasts of the epic fantasy, Williams and Brodie-Sangster were tasked with doing justice to real people whose lives and parts in the Sex Pistols story had been well documented.

Catriona Chandler as Jeanie, Maisie Williams as Jordan, Sade Malone as Francie in Pistol.

Brodie-Sangster plays impresario-designer-musician Malcolm McLaren, who helped transform the Sex Pistols into a genuine musical and cultural force, and Williams plays Pamela Rooke – aka Jordan – who worked in McLaren and his partner Vivienne Westwood’s famous boutique Sex and went on to become a model, actress, band manager and is credited with helping to establish the famous London punk look.

Williams was fortunate in as far as Jordan acted as a consultant on Pistol, which is adapted from guitarist and founding Sex Pistols member Steve Jones’ autobiography, Lonely Boy. Although Jordan died from cancer last month at the age of 66 before she was able to see the final product, Williams says her input and guidance were invaluable in sorting the fact from the fiction and making sure the look and feel of the fashion and aesthetic was authentic.

“I spent a lot of time with her and I was able to text with her and call her at any given moment, whether it be questions about my hair, makeup, costume or even just about key events within this story and what she was doing and where she was,” Williams says.

“It was it was wonderful to have someone who could look back on his time period and reflect on it in such a healthy way and she was a huge help to all of us.”

Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Malcolm McLaren, and his real-life partner Talulah Riley as Vivienne Westwood in Pistol. Picture: Miya Mizuno/FX

Williams, who has admitted to struggling with growing up in the public eye due to the sudden fame thrust upon her when GoT became one of the most successful TV shows ever made, also says that Jordan’s enduring independent spirit and attitude left a lasting impact on her.

“It’s really rare to be in the presence of someone who’s so confident and sure of themselves,” she says. “I think that we project a lot, especially in this modern world. When you get to be with someone who doesn’t do any of that, it really takes you back within yourself and it’s very grounding. I really enjoyed spending time with her and I’ve tried to incorporate that into my life as I move forward.”

Brodie-Sangster’s task was arguably more difficult. Not only did the mercurial McLaren die in 2010, but he’s also regarded as one of the most controversial, complicated and polarising figures in the history of pop culture. His integral role in shaping the fledging Sex Pistols from a rag-tag group of bickering individuals – some of whom couldn’t even play their instruments – into a band that scandalised a nation and inspired a movement is undeniable. But he’s also often been cast as the villain in the Sex Pistols story. Singer and lyricist Johnny Rotten, who has distanced himself from Pistol, once called McLaren “the most evil man in the world” and he has also been accused of ripping off the band, causing its demise and even failing to prevent the death of bass player Sid Vicious.

Maisie Williams as Arya Stark in the final season of Game of Thrones.

Brodie-Sangster says he didn’t want to portray McLaren as a villain or someone who acted out of malice or spite, but rather as a “maverick” who embraced chaos was prepared to go to extreme lengths (including kicking out members of the band he thought were off-brand) in pursuit of his goals.

“He dares to go places no one else would dream of going,” says Brodie-Sangster. “He likes to be inspired by strange things, and then mash them up with this other strange thing and hope that it works. In that way, he’s a bit of a mad artist. And a lot of the times it didn’t work, but one of the rare occasions that it really did resulted in the band The Sex Pistols. And I think anything that gets in the way of him reaching that goal that he sets out to achieve, has to just be pushed aside.”

So was he a genuine revolutionary, as he often purported to be, or a scheming opportunist prepared to use and discard as necessary in pursuit of the filthy lucre?

“I mean, if he could make a buck while changing the world, that’s brilliant,” says Brodie-Sangster with a laugh. “That’s giving two fingers up to the establishment, while sort of embracing capitalism.”

Pistol streams on Disney+ from May 31.

Milly Alcock as Young Rhaenyra and Emily Carey as Young Alicent in House Of The Dragon. Picture: HBO/BINGE

ALL FIRED UP

Maisie Williams says she can’t wait until House of the Dragon arrives in August.

The Game of Thrones prequel, which is set 200 years before the events of the original series and focuses on the dragon-loving House Targaryen, has been closely guarded so far but Williams says she’s excited to be able to watch as a fan rather than a participant at last.

“I have a couple of friends who are in it and for them coming on to this new show, having so much pressure of everything that we’ve done, I’ve tried to give them some words of advice,” she says.

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“I never really could get into Game of Thrones in the same way just because I knew everything that happened. So, I’m really excited to be able to see Game of Thrones as someone not involved at all. I really hope people love it. I hope people are excited for it. I hope people enjoy it. It looks like it was great fun to make.”

Originally published as Maisie Williams on playing a punk legend in Pistol and why she can’t wait for House of the Dragon