It’s hard to believe that we are now three years removed fromGame of Thrones’ final season. For almost a decade, that acclaimed fantasy series was the most talked about thing in all of pop culture. Through its eight seasons there were so many memorable characters, moments, and story arcs. One of the most popular characters on the show wasMaisie Williams’ Arya Stark, who saw some of the biggest character growth over the course of the series. By the end of Season 8, Arya was a seasoned warrior who famously took down The Night King. In addition, many fans were also hoping that Arya would be revealed as a part of the LGBTQ+ community. That didn’t end up happening, but as it turns out, fans weren’t the only ones rooting for that outcome as Williams recently revealed that she was hoping the same thing.
In an interview withTeen Vogue, Williams was asked about the first time she was surprised by Arya. The actress responded by saying, “The first time that I was surprised by Arya I guess was probably in the final series where she whips off her clothes and sleeps with Gendry.” She laughed and finished by saying, “I thought that Arya was queer, you know? So… yeah. That was a surprise.” It’s always interesting to see an actor or actress reflect on a role years later. Of course Arya dishing out the final blow to The Night King wouldn’t surprise Williams, but it seems like it’s the more intimate moments that caught her off guard.
This is a reminder that, even though they play the characters, actors are just like us. When a show goes on for as long asGame of Thronesdid, we can’t help but create our own head cannon for our favorite characters. That’s why many fans were left disappointed when Arya took her relationship with Gendry to the next level. It’s often hard to separate what we want as fans with what actually happened in the show itself and Season 8 had the difficult task of tying up all these different storylines.
RELATED:7 Things To Be Excited About for ‘House of the Dragon’
However, like Teen Vogue mentions in their article, the scene between Arya and Gendry happened right before The Battle of Winterfall. A battle against The Night King where everyone in question thought they were going to die. This means fans and Williams could get their wish granted some time down the line as Arya’s still very much alive in the universe. Arya is also still a very young character when the series ended. Our sexuality is something that just doesn’t turn on in an instant, it’s something that is developed and discovered over a long period of time.
Because of this, the character and her sexuality could be explored even further in a future project. Especially given Arya’s popularity, HBO’s efforts to expand theGame of Thrones’ world, and Williams’ personal attachment to the character.
While we anxiously wait for the possibility of a new Arya story, you can watchWilliam’s full Teen Vogue interview. The next chapter ofGame of Thronesis also coming this August with the prequel seriesHouse of the Dragon.
