Maisie Williams on the dark change in Arya, and her hopes for Season 5

Season 4 of Game of Thrones treated us to the adventures of Arya and The Hound, which more often than not made us laugh, and gave us some of the best one liners of the series. But underneath the laughter was a harsh story, of a young girl who had lost everything, and was learning to survive alone in a cruel world. Although the season brought about a dark change in Arya, her story ended on a hopeful note, as she sailed away to Braavos to start a new life.

Maisie Williams spoke with both The Daily Beast and Access Hollywood this week about Arya’s evolution throughout Season 4, and what’s in store for her in Season 5.

Maisie tells The Daily Beast that when Arya left The Hound to die, it was a culmination of everything she had learned since Episode 1, and that she is no longer the same Arya that her friends and family remember.

“It’s the same Arya we’ve seen all year, she’s just putting everything she’s learned into practice now. When she picks up the silver, it’s not a spiteful thing—she’s just doing what The Hound taught her, since he was the one who said, “Dead men don’t need silver.” And in her eyes, she thinks he’s dead. But the big change for Arya happened in Episode 1 when she kills Polliver, and people have loved their relationship this season, but he’s also been telling her constantly how she doesn’t know how to fight and reminding her that everyone’s dead. They seem like funny scenes when you turn a blind eye to the fact that this is a little girl who’s trying to stay alive in this very unforgiving world, so having someone tell you these things all the time isn’t helpful. She’s not Arya anymore; she’s not the girl who everyone thinks she is and likes to believe she is. If anyone is in that environment long enough, they’re not going to have their head screwed on perfectly.”

Whatever Arya has become, Maisie believes she will have the chance to put it all behind her, by letting go of her anger, and starting fresh in a new environment in Season 5.

“Well, we start shooting in July, and I know what happens in the books, but I think Arya is going to become someone new. In that moment when she’s in the back of the ship sailing away, and looking out at Westeros and her previous life drifting away from her, and then she turns around, I feel it’s a huge breath of fresh air for her. She can go to a place where nobody knows who she is; where she can start afresh, forget all the things that have happened to her, and the huge burden she’s been carrying with all these people that have lost their lives. She’s never going to forget the pain, heartache, and the revenge she’s seeking on those who have wronged her and her loved ones, but she now has the ability to not be so angry about it anymore. She’s looking ahead.”

Fans are certainly looking ahead to what Braavos has in store for Arya, and possibly some familiar faces from her past that hail from the free city. Maisie spoke with Access Hollywood about the possibility of their return, and the endless number of directions her storyline could take.

“Well, I know there’s speculation all the time because knowing Jaqen H’ghar is a faceless man, like she could’ve met him a million times before and never even known it, and she could meet him a million times again and never even know it and that’s the exciting thing. And I’m desperate to get the scripts because David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] have hinted little things to me about what’s to come. … The possibilities for Arya’s future are kind of — there’s so many different ways that this could kind of go now and we do have a book, obviously, to go by. But, you know, they can literally do anything. This is a fresh start for Arya and they could choose to go with the books or they could write something completely new and that’s what I’m really excited to see.”

For more from Maisie including her thoughts on Sansa’s Season 4 twist, and an Arya/Darth Vader comparison, visit Access Hollywood. And for details on filming the finale fight, Arya’s refusal to go with Brienne, and Maisie’s friendship with Rory, visit The Daily Beast.

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• Published on 06/25/2014 at 9:00 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:41 PM CDT