Don’t underestimate Maisie Williams! The badass 17-year-old also known as Arya Stark is not happy when adults categorize her generation as superficial, the Game of Thrones star revealed in the newest issue of Dazed Magazine.
“People think we’re f–king stupid and we don’t know anything about anything. It’s really degrading,” the actress told the magazine for its spring/summer 2015 issue, which hits newsstands on April 9. “I get a lot of adults who are like, ‘You don’t know sh-t,’ and it’s like, ‘You don’t know sh-t. You have no idea what it’s like to be 17 years old.'”
The outspoken Williams rose to fame after being cast as tomboy heroine Arya Stark on HBO’s hit fantasy series, and her TV brother Kit Harington said she was perfect for the role because she embodied everything Arya represents. “[Arya] is one of the hardest to cast, and what you’re really looking for is that character in the child. When Maisie walked into the room, that’s what they got,” he dished. “She had the energy of Arya, the cockiness and reckless abandon. They’re kindred spirits, really.”
That confident energy has earned Williams fans all over the world, including some famous faces. Lupita Nyong’o even approached her at a Golden Globes afterparty to proclaim her fandom. “‘It sounds stupid, but I’ve learned so much from you. I watch Game of Thrones all the time and honestly, being so new myself in the industry, I was just watching people who had done this same sort of thing,’” the 12 Years a Slave star said, Williams recalled.
Although Williams never intended to become a role model, she recognizes that she’s in a powerful position. “Whether I like it or not, I’ve become influential to people,” she said. “I don’t wanna be liked just because I’m pretty. That’s f–king boring, and I’m not that. Lots of young people in the industry try to play it cool, but it just makes them look like arrogant dickheads. I’d much rather be liked because people realize that I’m standing up for myself.”
Read more from Williams’ interview, including her thoughts on love and teenage sexuality, at Dazed Magazine. Game of Thrones returns to HBO on Sunday, April 12 at 9 p.m. ET.
