Game of Thrones [Hilo antiguo]

Did you think of it as a safe bet, with HBO's previous reputation?

When I got Stargate: Atlantis, I said, "man, I'd love to be on HBO. I've got two buddies who are on True Blood, and I said, I gotta get on HBO. My dreams have come true. When I got the role, when I read it, it was so interesting, because I get to speak this foreign language.

I read the book. I had two days and I was hooked. Right after the audition, I read the whole thing, and it's so great, the way you invest in these characters.

You think, in the first few episodes, my character's just this intimidating, badass king, but you slowly watch him fall in love and see how frail he is compared to this stoic- you compare him to the other characters, who are meant to be the good guys, and you think they're totally the opposite. There's such richness to these characters.

Some of the stuff I say, I've never heard said on TV or in the movies. So, to top it off with this amazing language that they've created-

Was it difficult to learn?

It was, but it was an honour. I don't think I'll ever get to play a character like that ever again. It's just fantastic to submerge yourself in this foreign language. I can't speak any other languages, it's English and Dothraki now, but it was a trip. Even the script supervisor, she's like, "You're lost. You're on your own."

This is my hardest and greatest work to date.

Your character's quite brutal towards his new wife. Didn't that put you off playing him?

Yeah. How do you train? You just have to disconnect, and it's brutal. I love Emilia [Clarke]. She's like a little sister. It's not like when you're doing stunts, where you're just playing. She's crying. It sucks.

But then they fall in love. It's this huge, beautiful arc you're going to watch.

Were you approached for Game Of Thrones, or did you audition?

I auditioned. It took, like, seven months. I did an audition, and I thought I did it pretty well, but I didn't hear anything for six or seven months, I think. It went on forever. I think what booked the job, apart from being absolutely fantastic and a great actor (I'm just joking) is that I went in and did the Haka. Do you know what that is? It's a war chant.

I just thought, in the scenes I was doing, you don't get a sense of what this warrior's like. What it would be like if he was commanding his officers, or what he'd be like in battle? I wanted to represent that, and channel a little bit of my ancestry and heritage. I'm half Hawaiian.

I went into HBO and I said, "Don't be scared or anything, but when you're in front of a large man doing the Haka, you're going to feel it. You're going to feel some energy coming at you."

These two little white women were like, "Holy shit." People were coming out of their doors and wondering what was going on. It really sealed the deal. And it got me Conan. It's a great way to start an audition. My heart was racing, and I'm sure theirs were too.

Were there a lot of stunts?

There wasn't. I shot the pilot for this, went away and did Conan, and came back and shot the whole series. There was like one major scene we put into it that isn't in the book. I went up to [writer and creator] David Benioff, and said, "I'm Conan. I've just done seventeen goddamn battles. You should probably have something that shows he's this amazing warlord. He should have a little bit of a fight."

I watch action movies, and you don't remember when Jason Statham does a kick or punch. It's character trait stuff you remember. Say, for instance, Indiana Jones, the guy with the sword. Indiana Jones shoots him, you remember that in the movie. The Joker in The Dark Knight, where he says, "Do you want to see a magic trick?" You remember that.

It's certain punches you remember. I wanted to do something like that with Drogo. He never uses a weapon, he really gets in close. He's such a badass. It's like coming up against a silver back bear. You don't look him in the eye. I wanted him to be that intimidating. I want to have that sense of, like, "Oh man, I'm fucked."

I had this dream where I wanted to rip this guy's tongue through his throat, and I thought that would be awesome. So, I had my dream come true. We did it. I said, "We don't have to make a tongue. I can just hold a chicken breast covered in blood or something like that."

They made a full throat with a tongue. So, I'm fighting this guy and he's bobbing and weaving, and I'm talking in my Dothraki tongue, and he's like, "You gotta kill me first," and I'm like, "I already have."

They made that come true for me. It was great to be part of all those great artists and writers. You could be free to create the character you wanted.

You tend to get these tough guy roles.

Yeah. I'm not that way, which is funny. I'm a big wuss, and not the king in the least.mM wife is. But obviously I look that way, so...

Do you fancy doing a nice little rom-com?

I love it. I'm funny as fuck, you know? And romantic. But I really love- Drogo's amazing. There's no one like him on TV. He's fucking amazing. And Conan, he's the same, but not. He's a king, but not. I created both in two different ways.

I don't want to be like Spider-man or Batman, the do-gooder kind of thing. I'm this drinking, fucking, eating machine. This pirate, thief, all these great things that I love. He's an anti-hero. He doesn't save the damsel in distress, he fucks the damsel in distress. After he takes over a kingdom, he slays some snakes. It's awesome.

The stories that Robert E Howard makes, it's so fun being this anti-hero. Because he is an anti-hero, but he's in these circumstances that make him a hero. His life's always on the line.

So, you like playing bad guys.

I like playing the bad good guy. I'm lucky to be playing this bad character that you love. It's Dirty Harry. I love Clint Eastwood. I love these strong silent types who don't have to say shit unless they need to say it, and when they do, you'd better listen. I'm so not like that. I'm so chatty and nervy. I'm not the strong silent type. Not once you get to know me, at least.

What was it like to play Conan?

It was hard. I've never been the lead of anything. It was my first experience of being a lead, the weight of it on your shoulders, performing at that level. Having to work out that much, staying in shape.

How much training did you do?

A lot. Like, six, seven hours' training a day. And you're eating boiled chicken breast, which sounds good, but it's not. It's like wet cardboard. You eat wet cardboard every two hours. I put a lot of work into it.

I got to see a rough cut, and people are going to be stoked. We're not remaking anything Arnold did. It's a totally new story. The same legendary character. We're taking these tons and tons of great Robert E Howard stories from the 30s, and combining a couple and bringing it to audiences in a way that's new and fresh.

There's obviously a lot of scope in Howard's stories. Is it something you've talked about, returning to that role?

Yeah. Absolutely, trying to honour the Robert E Howard fans. That's what I love. One of the biggest things for me was seeing the Frank Frazetta paintings. My parents were both painters, and seeing Frazetta - have you seen them? Of Conan standing on the pile of skulls? Those paintings are phenomenal.

So, there'll definitely be sequels?

Oh, yeah. There are sequels to everything. There's a Fast & Furious seven, isn't there? There's like four Pirates Of The Caribbean. There's sequels for everything.

Are you prepared for the fanbase to explode when this film comes out?

I just hope they like it, because I've been bustin' my ass, and I hope people love it, and embrace it. You'll probably have dipshits who'll be, like [adopts whiny voice] "It's not like the 80s film.".

Well, I hope not, ‘cause that was the fuckin' 80s. There's a lot more we can do now, dude. Some people will be like, "Oh, it's not Arnold." Well, no shit, Sherlock. I didn't plan on being like Arnold. In anything.

Would you care if Arnold gave you his blessing?

I don't care if he gives me his blessing. I love Arnold. I respect him, and love watching all his movies. I love True Lies. I love watching everything from that to Kindergarten Cop. It's a great career.

Obviously, I'm going into action, so I'm following in his footsteps in a sense, but I can't ever compare myself to Arnold. He's one of a kind. I'd never put myself in his shoes. So, I think he may like it, he may not. It's not like I'll quit acting if he doesn't like it.

Do you think you could beat him in a fight?

No, I'm sure he'll kick my ass. [laughs] I always thought that'd be funny, to be on Saturday Night Live, and do a little skit and have him come out and beat the shit out of me. I think that'd be funny. I'm always full of jokes, and I think it'd be great to just have him fuckin' throw me around the room.

Did you have any injuries while doing these roles?

Yeah, I've got a few marks. But it's character building. Chicks dig scars, right?

Were you an expert horse rider before?

No. I fuckin' hate horses. [laughs]

You chose a bad genre.

Yeah! [laughs] What? Shirtless? No words? On a horse? I'm your man! You watch Conan, and think, "Wow, he looks amazing on a horse." But inwardly, I'm shitting my pants. That's me acting like I know what I'm doing. I hated every moment.

I was going, "I hate this horse." Conan 2‘s gonna open up with me eating that fuckin' horse, man. Straight up. I can't stand that horse.

Having said that, on Game Of Thrones, I loved those horses. So, it was kind of like I started liking them again, then I went back for reshoots on Conan, and now I fuckin' hate ‘em again.

So, if either Game Of Thrones or Conan get picked up for another...

...I'm definitely gonna get a new horse. There's no, like, "We want this one because it's pretty and big." I'll be, like, "Nah." I'm gonna find one that's not dumb, and not gonna try to kill me.

You got thrown off a lot?

Yeah. Its feet gave out while we were at full gallop, and I slid down its neck and went ass over. I'm sliding on the grass.

The first time I got on the horse in Conan, I got on the horse and couldn't stop him. I'm going like, mach one on this horse, and he wouldn't stop. I broke my ribs before I even started. I got bucked off. Not a good start to a movie.

How did working on Game Of Thrones compare to Stargate?

Well, there were no horses and I got to wear clothes, for one thing. [laughs] I loved Stargate. I had such a great time and it was such a great training ground. It set me up to play the lead of a movie, you know, so it's really a phenomenon for four years to be with a family and experiment.

You do a movie, you meet everyone, you go from place to place. It's like joining a circus. Being on a show for four years, you know everyone. You know the grips. You feel safe and comfortable. You can play with your character a lot. It evolves over a long period of time. It was a great training ground that set me up for Drogo and Conan.

And also, being in that sci-fi fantasy genre, there's no limitations to what you can do. If I'm sick or drugged out, I can play it like heroin times ten, or crack times 20. You can go to places that aren't realistic, and that's fun.

It's worked out that I'm in these genres and I don't mind it. It's fun.

Is that the type of genre you like to watch or read?

Not at all, which is weird. Not at all. I like to read. I don't have a TV. I don't have email. I don't have a phone. I read books, I take care of my children, I play guitar. I love Japanese haiku poetry. I love Charles Baudelaire, biographies, whatever catches my fancy.

I'm a throwback. Maybe I am a barbarian!

Jason Momoa, thank you very much.

Hear Me Roar: Hello Maisie, thank you for taking your time for this interview.

Most, if not all, fans of Game of Thrones think you will make a great Arya based on what we have seen so far. You met some of the fans in Belfast last year; I hope they made a nice impression.

Maisie Williams: Yes they did, that was a great experience, I remember walking into Easons in Belfast and seeing all the people queued up around the shop, we had no idea there would be so many. Everyone was so nice, and it was all really surreal. The increased attention is all good but as it’s mainly on the internet I can dip in and out. I am pleased that generally the fans like me as Arya but I know it may not always be like that.

HmR: Have you chosen to follow fan reactions online and elsewhere?

MW: We often have a look at WiC, George’s blog and the Facebook page and I did start to twitter but found it difficult to keep up so I’m sorry if you have twittered me and I have not responded! It gets a bit much sometimes.

HmR: What do your parents and friends think about it?

MW: My family are really pleased for me and so are my friends. They find all the photos from the internet and YouTube clips and put them on Facebook to try and embarrass me (unfortunately, it works!).

HmR: How did you get into acting, and how did you learn about this casting opportunity?

MW: I have always been in school plays and enjoyed drama but always really thought of myself as a dancer. I did not have the opportunity to start dancing lessons until I was ten when I started at Susan Hill’s School of Dance. After I had been there a while Sue suggested I attend a talent show in Paris. I came away from this with an agent and an audition with Pippa Hall, a children’s casting director, for Nanny McPhee 2. During the audition process, I met Eros Vlahos (who plays Lommy Greenhands)! I didn’t get the part but did get down to the final two. At the time I was really disappointed but I now realise that I did well to get that far.

My agent Louise Johnston then put me up for an audition for Arya. I have to say that at first I wasn’t too keen, I was still thinking about Nanny McPhee 2. But all auditions are good experience so I went along and after the first audition in London I knew I wanted to be Arya!

HmR: Could you describe the audition process for us?

MW: I had three auditions in total. The first audition was in London at the end of June, it was very quick, recorded on video with lots of others all auditioning for Arya, Sansa or Bran. I was thrilled when after a few days I got a call back. The second audition was much longer, I had to do the same scene (a Kingsroad scene not used in the actual series) about 5 times with three different girls auditioning for Sansa. One of whom was Sophie Turner!!! We immediately got on well and both wanted each other and ourselves to get the parts so that we could meet again! I also did an Arya and Gendry scene from book two. The final audition was a screen test with David Benioff and Nina Gold at the beginning of August. I really enjoyed it and I thought it went quite well. Afterwards, David spoke to my mum and asked her if she had read the books, which she had … well, the first one anyway. I think he wanted to make sure she knew what her daughter was auditioning for! We were supposed to be going on holiday to Scotland the day before the audition. The rest of my family were already there so mum and I spent the rest of the day in London then took a coach to Glasgow overnight and arrived early the next morning.

HmR: How did you learn that you had been chosen for the role?

MW: We were packing up to go home from the holiday in Scotland a few days after the final screen test when Louise, my agent, called and asked to speak to me! I knew there was good news when Louise asked to speak to me before she spoke to my mum; bad news comes from Mum, good news from Louise! I was so excited I couldn’t believe it … then a few days later we found out that Sophie was playing Sansa … I WAS SO EXCITED! It was a dream come true! It took a while to sink in but it was the best thing ever!

HmR: The story of your insisting on using your left hand in sword fighting is well-known, and much appreciated as an example of how devoted you are to portraying Arya as she is in the books. How did you go about learning about your character?

MW: My mum and step dad had read the first book by this time and filled me in on Arya’s character including the fact that she is left handed. It’s not that they wouldn’t let me read the books, I just don’t have time to read much and when I do, it has to be school stuff mainly. They would read me parts that showed Arya’s character. I started practicing with my left hand before we started filming because I wanted to get it right but was not able to use my left hand all of the time because of camera angles so Arya is now a little ambidextrous!

HmR: How long have you been dancing for? Did you feel that your dancing experience helped a lot with sword fight training for your ‘water dancing’ lessons with Miltos Yerolemou?

MW: I have been dancing for 4 years now; I do Musical Theatre, Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Street and Freestyle as well as gymnastics and trampolining.

Yes, it was just like choreographing a dance, it took time and practice to get it right but working with Miltos was great and we really had fun. Miltos is very good at stage fighting he liked to put in some ideas and suggestions as to what he thought ‘Syrio’ would do.

HmR: What would you say are Arya’s most important traits?

MW: She’s feisty, a bit of a rebel, a tomboy, she is also quite brave and quick thinking, she wants to be listened too but sees everything very black and white … bit like me really!

HmR: What notes did you get from the directors on what Arya should be like?

MW: They would say how they thought the scene would go but were also happy for me to say how I thought Arya would react to things. They also emphasised about Arya having to grow up really quickly in the first series.

HmR: How was it to film with dogs standing in for the direwolves? Did you get along well with Nymeria?

MW: Nymeria was played by two dogs Saxon and Indi. Saxon was the acting dog and Indi was the stunt dog, they were great to work with very well trained and very big! Saxon was really easy to work with and quite calm but Indi was a little more boisterous. Working with animals always takes twice as long, though, they needed far more takes than me!

HmR: How much of Arya’s storyline beyond the first book are you familiar with?

MW: I know the outline of what happens to Arya in all the books and can’t wait to see what is in store for her in the new books.

HmR: What are you looking forward to filming most, if further series of the show are commissioned?

MW: I am looking forward to being with the Hound … I like Rory, and really want to work with him. I’m also looking forward to the Weasel soup! Harrenhal, going on the run, receiving the coin … all of it really!

Pilot filming - Chillin' out with Sophie, Alfie, and Isaac at Castle Ward

HmR: You have become good friends with the rest of the actors playing the Stark children. Do you recognize in them any part of the characters they play when you hang out in real life as well?

MW: A little, Isaac likes to climb anything and everything and Sophie is very sophisticated and likes to take charge, but none the less a great friend! But she is definitely not an air head!

HmR: Are there other people you have grown close with during the whole experience?

MW: Julie Austin, the on-set acting coach has become a real friend! It was great to have her around … she is real fun and completely mad but that never stopped her!!! We met George, Parris and Ty [Franck, George’s assistant] a few times and that was great, they are all so lovely as are David & Dan. Kit, Richard and Alfie are always good fun, and Jamie S[ives] was really nice too, we made up a cool secret handshake and everything! The crew were amazing, they all work so hard.

HmR: Would you care to share any funny moments that happened during filming?

MW: The cat catching was funny. In one take, I kept catching it … it wouldn’t run away, it was just a pro! Some of the directors were American, they would say how they wanted me to say a line in their American accents and sometimes it would be really tricky because they had said it to me so many times that I would copy the accent by mistake! That was always funny and quite embarrassing!

HmR: Did you have any difficulty managing the filming of Game of Thrones and travelling to Malta for it on the one hand, and school and other activities on the other?

MW: One downside was keeping up with school work and dancing, if we are lucky enough to get a second series there are some things we may try to do differently next time to make it better, like maybe basing ourselves in Belfast so we don’t have so much travelling and I would get more tutor time.

HmR: What are some of the interests you have, what do you like doing?

MW: I like textiles and arts and crafts. I’m constantly shopping for new trends and looks and I hope to do more clothes making in the future!

HmR: What are your plans and goals in the near future, and maybe later in life?

MW: There are a couple of acting things going on at the moment but nothing definite yet. My aims at the moment are to get through school, knuckle down and get good grades then maybe go to a stage school for 6th form then move to London because I want to be in the centre of things and I love London! Then, who knows?!

HmR: When do you gather you will be allowed to watch the whole of Game of Thrones?

MW: On 18th April! I was at the whole cast read through for all 10 episodes so I know what to expect – it is acting after all!

HmR: Thank you for all the answers, we are very glad to have been able to talk to you.

MW: Thank you for asking me to do this interview, it was great fun!!!