Maisie Williams: British actress best known for playing Arya Stark on Game of Thrones, cast at age 12; now an entrepreneur and advocate for creative work.
What this episode covers
Maisie Williams speaks for the first time about a traumatic early relationship with her father, which she likens to having been in a 'child cult,' and the lasting anxiety, self-hatred and sense of impending doom it left her with. She describes being identified and removed from the situation at age eight after a teacher asked the right questions, and how Game of Thrones gave her both financial security and an outlet to channel deep pain through acting. She and host Stephen Bartlett explore how trauma shapes self-belief, the limits of money for healing, and her struggle to feel worthy. She credits Transcendental Meditation, therapy, spiritual experiences, and her partner Reuben with transforming her life since 2021. She also reveals an ADHD diagnosis and shares her mission to help creative people sustain a life of making art.
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
The Body Keeps the Score
Bessel van der Kolk
“I read this book called The Body holds the score then if you ever heard of it and one of the most fascinating things about it”— Stephen Bartlett
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
“it's like what is that film um Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind he like gets his relationship removed from his brain basically”— Maisie Williams
Game of Thrones
HBO
“I think when I was like 12 and I'd done a bit of Game of Thrones and was doing interviews and like the first interviews”— Maisie Williams
Prison Break
“last night someone said to me oh we should watch um but they say Prison Break and I remember like my brain went that's a waste of time”— Stephen Bartlett
Big reveals from this episode
- Maisie reveals a traumatic early childhood relationship with her father that consumed her childhood; her mother escaped with the children when Maisie was about four months old.
- At age eight, a teacher took her to the staff room and asked the right questions, leading to her being removed from her father's care.
- She describes feeling 'indoctrinated' and says she was 'in a child cult against my mother,' which is why she's fascinated by cults.
- At 20 she had a very poor self-image, telling herself daily she was awful, disgusting, unattractive and unlikable.
- Meditation and spirituality, which she only embraced in 2021, plus surreal life-changing spiritual experiences, transformed her life.
- She discusses past issues with party drugs as a teenager and deciding she needed to stop to feel happiness.
- She reveals her four-year relationship with partner Reuben, the first person patient enough to break through her self-sabotage.
- She reveals she was diagnosed with ADHD about a year and a half ago and takes daily medication, a trait that runs in her family.
Worth remembering
- From age 12, after early Game of Thrones interviews, people questioned how she could access such pain and fury so young.
- She auditioned for Arya Stark surrounded by joyful, carefree girls and assumed she would be a disappointment, but got the role.
- At 14 she reached the final 20 for Junior Apprentice but was dropped after a press leak, which she found devastating.
- Stephen references The Body Keeps the Score, noting acting and yoga have been shown to work as antidepressants.
- Maisie grew up in a council house in Plymouth and has been financially 'set for life' since age 12.
- She practices Transcendental Meditation, which helps surface insights she traces back with her therapist.
- Her partner Reuben designed a t-shirt inspired by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who wrapped iconic landmarks in fabric.
- She articulates a theory that you despise in others what you reject most about yourself.
- Stephen shares he built a business called Wallpark and now DJs and writes books as creative outlets.
- Her relationship with her mother, with whom she traveled the world from ages 12-17, is now in a good place after navigating growing independence.