before she landed a role on Game of
Thrones Maisie Williams surprisingly had
no acting experience from growing up
with a very different dream to making
millions on screen
Williams stunning transformation is
truly turning heads Maisie Williams grew
up just like every other normal kid
she explained at a TED talk in 2019 I
went to a very ordinary school I got
very ordinary grades everything about me
was pretty damn ordinary except for how
I felt on the inside I had big dreams
Williams was the youngest of four
creative kids growing up in a small town
in England and she seemed to be destined
for a career in the arts according to
the Irish Times her sister is a singer
her oldest brother creates body art and
her other brother is a breakdancing
instructor so Williams always knew she
was meant to do more than simply sit at
a desk in an interview with Rob Moore
Williams explained I'm the youngest of
four I love to make people laugh I
wanted to make people happy
as a result Williams began performing in
school plays and dance recitals which is
where she found herself falling in love
with dancing when Maisie Williams was 10
years old she was willing to do whatever
it took to become a professional dancer
she explained during a TED talk I
informed my mother that I didn't want to
go to school anymore I wanted to be like
Billy Elliot and go to stage school
Williams auditioned for a spot and got
in unfortunately her mother didn't have
the money for tuition Williams revealed
during her TED talk it broke my heart I
was good enough I made the cut but I
wasn't going anywhere
hearing the horrible news her dance
teacher encouraged Williams to join a
talent show where she would not only
dance but also sing act and model and
agents would be watching one agent
thought Williams stood out and signed
her on the spot but encouraged her to
act instead she explained to fans cited
I have always been in school plays and
enjoy drama but always really thought of
myself as a dancer but all auditions are
good experience after failing her first
audition for the nanny mcphee sequel her
agent sent her on a second audition for
a television show called game of Thrones
she would soon become a stark Maisie
Williams was 12 years old when she
officially entered the world of acting
and became arya stark while she had
absolutely no prior acting experience
she was seemingly a natural of the fight
scenes the actress told fans cited it
was just like choreographing a dance it
took time and practice to get it right
Sarat Williams nearly decade-long time
working on Game of Thrones she hadn't
imagined how dramatically the popularity
of the television series would grow
along with her paycheck she told The
Guardian
the thing I was really obsessed about
was whether I would earn enough money to
buy myself a laptop my stepdad Gary just
looked at me and said I think there'll
be enough for a couple of laptops Maisie
Game of Thrones was nominated for 160
Emmys during its eighth season run and
according to Deadline
set in many records averaging forty four
point two million viewers for each of
its highly anticipated final episodes in
2016 and 2019 Williams received Emmy
nominations herself for Outstanding
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
though the show completely changed her
life Williams still can't help but think
back to what could have been she
admitted to the Guardian if I could have
had a career in dancing I would have
left acting in a second in 2016 Maisie
Williams became one of the youngest
people ever to receive an Emmy
nomination realising that chances like
this don't come off in four young actors
she decided to create her very own
creative outlet in the form of a
production company Williams told screen
Daly of her newest endeavor I hope to
give other creatives the opportunities
that I was lucky enough to receive at
the beginning of my career the idea
first came to her while working on the
movie i boy after having an interesting
conversation with a young camera
assistant named Dom Sandra she revealed
to ID Dom told me how difficult it was
for young creatives to access
opportunities that can progress their
careers he vouched that this was
something we would change together as a
result they partnered up to create daisy
chain productions the company produces
short films full-length features and
television dramas that specifically
focused on helping to build up aspiring
talent starting with young creators like
herself
even becoming an actress doesn't stop
bullies the plot of Maisie Williams
television movie cyberbully became all
too real for the young actress only a
year after she began working on Game of
Thrones
she told the Guardian the problems are
still the same the comments still hurt
just as much whether it's one person
whether it's everyone in your school
whether it's everyone in the London area
she's been through a lot of trauma
Williams worked closely with the writers
to make sure the movie was as realistic
as it could be the final outcome became
incredibly hard to act out Williams told
Radio Times calm it is the most intense
shoot I have ever been a part of it was
eight days it felt like about a year
when I waited say for a reply from the
cyberbully
it had the tension of a big explosion or
a horse chase or a sword fight the young
actress has a close relationship with
her mother to thank for getting her
through tough times online Williams has
since deleted some of her social media
accounts sharing with the Guardian why
do I need to hear what other people
think of me I'm happy I am decided to
just keep a tight lip on everything
since viewing the oscar-winning
documentary The Cove
Williams has become an advocate for
dolphins and has publicly urged people
everywhere to stop visiting them in
captivity as she told The Hollywood
Reporter these animals travel the ocean
that's what they explore daily no tank
will be big enough no tank will ever be
deep enough ever be exciting enough The
Cove sheds light on the many people who
stalk and slaughter these creatures all
along coastlines for meat and then sell
others to aquariums around the world
throughout filming for Game of Thrones
the young actress took multiple trips to
Japan the location where the documentary
takes place in order to protest against
the dolphin hunts that are happening
there every day when it comes to saving
the dolphins Williams explained to The
Hollywood Reporter it was something that
just struck a chord in my heart and I'm
a firm believer that if there is
something that you really want to stand
up and fight for then you should and
with everyone doing their own little bit
for what they believe in hopefully
together we can make the world a better
place
growing up for all the world to see is
extremely challenging having spent her
entire childhood on camera Maisie
Williams told the Irish Times
it's very hard growing up in public
you're going through all these bodily
changes you're laughing one minute and
crying the next to make matters worse
following season 2 of game of Thrones
the actress was required to wear a strap
across her chest in order to keep her
character looking more childlike
Williams admitted to Vogue I felt kind
of a bit ashamed for a while it was
lowbrow and it was very exciting it's
like I know I don't have to wear the
strap it William still struggles with
self-doubt as she emotionally revealed
on the happy place podcast in 2019 I
still lie in bed at like 11 o'clock at
night telling myself all the things I
hate about myself when the cast finally
wrapped up filming on the series finale
in 2018 the starlet took advantage of
this time to experiment with her own
style which is something she was never
able to do during Game of Thrones the
first thing she did was drastic she dyed
her hair her very favorite color pink
Williams confessed to rolling stone I
guess subconsciously I dyed it because I
didn't want to work it's a pretty good
way of stopping that and it just feels
so good so me I've battled my whole
adolescence with trying to put a stamp
on my appearance but also be a blank
canvas as an actor what better way is
there to begin some extended time off
than by dyeing your hair pink after
wrapping up on Game of Thrones Arya
Stark was no more and Maisie Williams
was left having to figure out her own
style outside of the spotlight in 2019
following her last Emmy nomination for
the show
it seems she finally was able to do that
the actress told Elcom I've always
wanted the perfect custom red carpet
dress something that I feel really
confident and comfortable in Williams
decided to get some help from her
boyfriend Ruben Selby who works in the
fashion industry
Selby partnered with designer Jay W
Anderson to help make Williams perfect
outfit as she explained to Elcom I asked
Ruben if he would design something with
me in mind my height my shape my likes
and insecurities
since then the couple has regularly been
photographed wearing coordinated looks
Williams laughed as she told mogh we
like to wear matching outfits like a 70
year old couple even after the massive
amount of success that working on Game
of Thrones had given her
it was the year that the show ended that
she finally felt her best not only had
she met her boyfriend but as she wrote
on Instagram I fell in love with myself
you know that you've really made it big
when you're invited to give a TED talk
when Maisie Williams was asked to
present one in 2019 she was just 22
years old and wasn't even sure where to
begin she said during her talk what
could I possibly say that could have any
impact what point am I trying to make
and who the hell thought it was a good
idea to give me a TED talk the very fact
that I'm here giving a TED talk right
now is so far from anything I thought
that I was capable of all Williams ever
wanted to do was dance so she decided to
start there describing her childhood and
the heartbreak that came when she found
out that she couldn't afford to attend
her dream dance school however she had
come to the realization that this was
all just a blessing in disguise she
declared proudly in a decade everything
in my life has changed I'm an Emmy
nominated actress an entrepreneur and an
activist to get there she had simply
followed her dancing dream and let fate
take over in a society overtaken by
social media and people everywhere
wanting to live a life of fame and
fortune Williams revealed in her TED
talk I hope to inspire people to be
talented instead talent will carry you
so much further than your 15 minutes of
fame growing up in the spotlight does
have its perks there are the adoring
fans and red-carpet events however as
Maisie Williams told the Guardian people
can sit back and say I was given an
amazing opportunity which is why I am
where I am but I also gave up being a
normal teenager I gave up a huge part of
my adolescent life I'm still petrified
of my peers because I just didn't spend
a lot of time with them because of the
major Fame thrown at her throughout
gameofthrones
Williams admits that she sometimes
misses being able to do the day-to-day
things that average people around the
world take for granted now that she has
a less demanding schedule Williams
chooses to spend time with family she
happily told the BBC i'mjust Maisie
again and not the girl off the telly
though her fans will be happy to know
that they'll be seeing the young actress
back on screen very soon the British
starlet only craves one thing Williams
told the happy
Podcast honestly I want a normal life I
don't want any of this crazy crazy world
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[Music]
[Applause]