Arya Stark's New Look

Maisie Williams Says Goodbye to an On-Screen Father

Last week, when we spoke to Maisie Williams about Arya’s experience in ‘The Pointy End,’ we also asked her about Sean Bean’s dramatic and unexpected exit from the series. “It was great working with Sean, and now he’s gone,” she said. “So it’s going to be really hard. And Arya has to learn to live without Ned … So, in both worlds – ‘Game of Thrones’ and reality – we’re going to miss him.” Shooting Lord Stark’s final scene on the steps of Baelor’s Sept turned out to be a particularly affecting experience for Maisie: “On the day they shot the execution, there’s a part when I’m in the middle of the crowd with Yoren. All the extras were screaming and shouting, and it was really emotional. It was horrible because there were all these people yelling horrible words … it all just seemed more real then, what Arya was going through.”

Maisie Williams shares her thoughts on ‘The Pointy End’

By Steve Marzolf

Watching Arya Stark, it's hard to believe that 'Game of Thrones' was Maisie Williams’ first acting job. And, as if landing a big role with the second audition of her career weren’t daunting enough, there was also the matter of getting to know her new movie-star dad: "I was a bit apprehensive because I'd never met him before and we were supposed to have such a close relationship – and of course, it was Sean Bean," she says. 'So...I was a bit shy. He was very nice, though, and made it a lot easier. The first scene was difficult, but after that it loosened up." Unfortunately, the same kind of happy ending doesn’t seem to be in store for Arya. In an exclusive HBO.com interview, we spoke with Maisie about everything her character lost in last night's episode: her mentor, her innocence and maybe her family as well.

Read the full interview with Maisie Williams on HBO.com

Latest Set Photos

INSIDE THE SERIES

'Game of Thrones' arrives on HBO in exactly 100 days.  After you've marked your calendars, check out these high-resolution versions of the latest set photos, fresh from being released at the TCA press tour (all photos by Helen Sloan).

        

        

    

    

High-Resolution EW Photos

INSIDE THE SERIES

Still buzzing from the excitement of EW's 'Game of Thrones' coverage last week? For the first time, check out high-resolution versions of twelve of the photos highlighted in the magazine's story and EW.com's "First Look" slideshow - along with the photos of Cersei and Tyrion posted here last week, these complete the full set of fourteen images released as part of the EW feature.  And we're not done yet - check back here for more 'Thrones' items coming your way this weekend...

    

    

    

    

            

Photos by Helen Sloan / HBO