Maisie Williams, who rose to fame at the age of 12, reflected on her experience portraying Arya Stark in “Game of Thrones.” Having played the role for the entirety of her teen years from 2011 to 2019, she said she had trouble feeling “comfortable in my own skin.”
“I was so lost for so long and I knew that I was, and when I couldn’t pin down what I felt my identity was within that, it brought me a lot of discomfort,” Williams told The Sunday Times. “It’s hard to even put myself back there and talk about how tough it was just because I think it’s done.”
The 26-year-old actor furthered that “playing characters has been so enthralling,” but she did that during “a really formative time in my life,” making it difficult to form an identity outside of acting.
Adding that she feels more confident in her own skin, Williams said she is better able to handle rejection now.
“It was at its absolute worst when I also was the most out of touch with myself — not knowing your identity and that kind of thing — I think rejection at that point felt so personal, so painful,” she said. “I’d solely compare myself to other actresses, and the way people looked, and all of the most destructive ways that you can compare yourself,” she continued.
Currently starring in “The New Look,” Williams plays Catherine Dior, the sister of Christian Dior. The Apple TV+ drama traces how Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain and Cristóbal Balenciaga launched modern fashion while navigating the horrors of World War II.