Leading up to the season 6 premiere of the prime time fantasy drama on HBO from series creators David Benioff and D.B.Weiss, Game of Thrones fans are likely more than a little eager to find out what has been going on in George R.R. Martin’s grandly operatic medieval world of Westeros since the show last left off in June 2015. Those in the know are likely eager to disclose the ultimate fate of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) as Commander of the Night’s Watch, as well as what Daenerys Targaryen is up to after having absconded upon the back of her great black dragon Drogon, and how Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) intends to overcome her latest humiliation in King’s Landing.
In addition, fans are likely intrigued by the reported travails soon to befall the likes of the heroic Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christy) and the always steadfast paragon Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) once things get underway once more on Game of Thrones season 6. Furthermore, some viewers might be still pondering the fate of the recently blinded Arya Stark (Maisie Willams) at the hands of the Many-Faced God, a journey recently teased by none other than Williams herself.
Published in an interview conducted by EW, Williams was quick to extoll the many virtues of Arya and her affinity for playing the character going on six years now, before turning to her excitement regarding her recently completed narrative arc as the character. In regards to what viewers can expect from Arya’s season 6 journey, and where they will find her at the beginning of the latest series run on HBO, Williams stated:
“People don’t realize last season Arya went blind. Last season people asked: ‘Is she dead?’ I’m all, ‘No, she’s blind.’ It’s too easy to kill her. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Game of Thrones it’s that death is the easy way out. They’re gonna keep her and make her have a [bad] time. Look at Reek. I was so up for the contacts. I love having something weird going on on the set. There’s never a day where I just sat and did dialogue there’s always something going on.”
Apparently Arya won’t be having any easier a time of it going forward, as the physicality that will be brought bear on the her during Game of Thrones season 6 have forced Williams to focus more on the technical aspects of her performance, including her increased training under the tutelage of the Many-Faced God and its acolytes. In regards to said acting challenge, Williams commented:
As Game of Thrones progresses into new territory beyond the realm of the published novels by Martin, Williams is additionally excited about what she refers to as being, “The final storylines forming,” in regards to several key characters having already kicked the bucket in past seasons. It’s impossible to tell, “What’s really going on,“at this point in time as Williams stated, putting Arya in a position of near absolute submission to the wills of series creators Benioff and Weiss - something that might just result in the best series arc for her character yet.
“I feel like I got a good one this time: Arya is being more physical again, but she’s blind. So her training has progressed even more, but it’s on a more physical level and a more technical level because she’s lost her eyes. And I love doing stunts. I’m so happy I’ve got some again. Last year, people have been like, ‘Arya’s sweeping floors!’ And everything I tweet, they’re like, ‘Oysters, clams and cockles!’ It’s part of the training, okay? It’s what goes into that. And this year there is more of that, but it’s also more exciting.”
Game of Thrones season 6 will premiere on HBO on April 24th, 2016.
Source: EW
