Maisie Williams has some thoughts about the controversial Game of Thrones series finale.
As fans know, the acclaimed series ended on [SPOILERS] a bittersweet note on Sunday, with some characters suffering tragic fates while others went on to thrive in the Iron Throne-less Age of Westeros.
Arya Stark fell into the latter category, as the once bloodthirsty killer traded her kill list and faces to become an explorer and set out to discover what was West of Westeros. (No one knows, as the maps don’t go that far.)
The actress who plays her, however, would’ve preferred a much darker ending.
VOTE: How Did YOU Feel About The ‘Game Of Thrones’ Ending?
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 22-year-old revealed that she wishes her character had gone out of this world the same way she came in — a cold-hearted killer — and succeeded in murdering Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey)… even if it led to Arya’s death!
She explained to the publication:
“I just wanted to be on set with Lena [Headey] again, she’s good fun. And I wanted Arya to kill Cersei even if it means [Arya] dies too.”
Ha! We’re sure many fans would’ve preferred this, too!
Of course, Cersei met a much different demise in episode 5 of the final season, The Bells, when she was crushed to death by debris from a crumbling Red Keep in the arms of her twin brother/lover Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau).
While Cersei and Jaime’s final moments were emotional and oddly romantic (they always were the incestuous Romeo and Juliet of Westeros), many fans felt that Thrones’ biggest villain deserved a much more gruesome death.
Maisie thought so, too — and she was certain that Arya would be the one to do the deed when she read the script for that episode. She continued:
“Even up to the point when Cersei’s with Jaime I thought [while reading the script], ‘He’s going to whip off his face [and reveal its Arya]’ and they’re both going to die. I thought that’s what Arya’s drive has been.”
Instead, Arya decided to abandon her plans of killing Cersei at the last minute — all thanks to a lesson from The Hound (Rory McCann) that living a life of revenge would lead to nothing but despair.
Related: Sophie Turner Shames Fans For Demanding HBO Redo The Final Season!
The episode ended with Arya bloodied and caked with ash from the city burning around her, coming upon a white horse, and riding away from the death and destruction surrounding her. The final shot we see of the young assassin in the finale shows her on a ship, ready to take on whatever adventures may come her way.
The actress admitted that despite her initial “shock” and mixed feelings about the ending to Arya’s story, she eventually realized that it gave her “other things I could play, bringing Arya back to being a 16-year-old again,” adding:
“It’s not a Game of Thrones ending for Arya, it’s a happy ending. It gave me a place to take Arya that I never thought I’d go with her again.”
It also set up the perfect spin-off for her character — but sadly, HBO has no plans to move forward with Arya The Explorer.
Were U satisfied with the ending to Arya’s journey?
[Image via HBO]
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