Maisie Williams talks the Red Wedding, Arya & The Hound, and Season 4

WhatsUpWhatsOn caught up with Maisie Williams at the recent Game of Thrones Season 3 DVD Launch in London to find out what we can expect from Arya in Season 4.

After her loss at the Red Wedding, Arya means business this year. She’ll be toughening up with the help of the very tall sidekick she loves to hate, The Hound, and a sword back in her hand.

Tell us a bit about your character Arya Stark and the impact the Red Wedding had on her.

You’ve just seen the one thing that she wanted most be torn away from her. It’s nice that she made a comeback at the end. It’s great for the audience to see that she’s here and she means business and she’s not ready for people to walk all over her and take away her family. I think it was a really powerful ending to the series, but for Arya definitely.

Some of the most popular scenes in ‘The Rains of Castamere’ are between you and Rory McCann playing Sandor ‘The Hound’ Clegane. I wondered if you could give me your take on Arya and the Hound relationship and what it’s like working with someone who’s 7 foot tall with scars all over his face!?

[Laughs] When I first got through the script for those last few episodes, I remember just reading the scenes and laughing and finding them absolutely brilliant. And even though Arya’s not having the greatest time with him, the relationship is really interesting, and they love to hate each other. It was very fun to do. I’m so used to working with Rory now, there are so many pictures and stills up there of me just stood talking to Rory like this! [Looks up]. To me that’s normal, that’s what it’s like talking to everyone really, because I’m only five foot tall so I’m looking up to everyone, there’s never a time where I’m looking someone directly in the eye!

So Season 4, HBO released a trailer of the new season a few weeks ago and there’s a really great teaser trailer of Arya Stark wielding a sword above her head. What was your training like on set? Because you’d never picked a sword up before had you?

Yes exactly. I first started my training in season 1, I had a great time working with the stunt team. We did several hours each week leading up to the shooting days. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a challenge because in the books, Arya’s left handed, but I’m actually right handed so in the series I’ve learnt to do the sword fighting and anytime I’m pouring a drink or anything, I’m doing it all left handed. At the time it was a great idea, but now I’m regretting it! It keeps it interesting definitely, and as you saw there’s a little more sword fighting this year which I’m really excited about, and I had a great time with our director Neil Marshall again.

Final question, can you say anything about Arya Stark and her journey in Season 4?

So this year we see a definite change in the relationship between Arya and the Hound. She’s not trying to kill him anymore! And he’s kind of putting up with her! They’re not friends by any means but they’re trying to get on a little bit better. He’s still unpleasant to her and still shoots her down whenever she gets sassy. Those scenes were fun to do. Arya’s becoming a different character, we saw it a little bit in the end of the last series. She’s definitely toughening up and learning a lot from the Hound and his way of doing it, she’s still keeping her previous training from Syrio but I feel that she’s getting influences from the Hound from being with him so long.

Read the full interview at WhatUpWhatsOn.Com.

• Published on 02/15/2014 at 9:00 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:43 PM CDT