Where to Look for Maisie Williams: From ‘Doctor Who’ to ‘The New Mutants’ and Future Projects
Maisie Williams may be best known for playing tough, headstrong Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, but her résumé is already studded with other intriguing projects – including two or three new ones you could even watch this weekend. Here's a handy guide on where to check out the rising star next, plus a roundup of her non-GoT highlights to date.
1. The Falling (2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONA-hKyWSiM
Williams stars opposite Florence Pugh in this dark coming-of-age film about a mysterious fainting epidemic that takes over a British girls' high school in 1969. As Lydia, an intelligent and perceptive teenager who's neglected by her agoraphobic mother (Maxine Peake), then written off troublesome by her strict headmistress (Monica Dolan), Williams is compelling and completely believable.
2. Doctor Who (2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8STF2gEEFjE
Williams appears in four episodes of season nine as Ashildr, a Viking girl whom Peter Capaldi's Doctor brings back to life using a repair kit made by deadly warrior race the Mire. This makes Ashildr immortal and enables her to live right through to the end of time itself, so in theory Williams could return to the role at any point. Fingers crossed, for sure.
3. Stealing Silver (2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQnyxeirvN4
This touching short film follows an unlikely friendship that develops between Leonie (Williams) and Udo (Ronald Pickup), an elderly German man she's asked to look out for. Williams, who also executive produced the short from director Mark Lobatto, excels as an emotionally damaged woman who slowly learns to open herself up.
4. Then Came You (2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIkRfCKd7Lc
Williams brings a bit of grit to this sweet but derivative big screen tear-jerker. She plays Skye, a teenage girl with terminal cancer who bonds with nervous baggage attendant Calvin (Asa Butterfield). As he helps her to check off items from her bucket list, she gently encourages him to pursue the flight attendant (Nina Dobrev) he has a crush on. It's a movie with few surprises, but expect to well up a little anyway.
5. Early Man (2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRiPQ8YNrVs
This stop-motion animation movie from the Aardman production house (Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit) has a terrific voice cast including Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Miriam Margolyes, and Richard Ayoade. Williams has a fun role as Goona, a savvy Stone Age soccer fan who coaches a team of cavemen who must win a grudge match to protect their land.
6. Gen:Lock (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7pXWElOA0o
Williams also has a voice role in this animated sci-fi series which airs on the Rooster Teeth YouTube channel. She plays Cammie MacCloud, a Scottish hacker who joins an experimental program which allows people to have their mind uploaded to a giant suit of armor. This voice cast also includes Michael B. Jordan and David Tennant, so if you're a fan of dystopian stories, Gen:Lock could be worth seeking out.
7. Madeon's "Miracle" video (2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrob8fwgoeo
Williams has starred in a handful of music videos, but this one from French house producer Madeon is especially powerful and a mini-Game of Thrones reunion to boot. Cersei Lannister actress Lena Headey directs Williams and James Nelson Joyce (The Nest, Vera) in a hauntingly beautiful clip which takes place in the aftermath of a car crash. Warning: some shots aren't for the squeamish.
8. The New Mutants (2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_vJhUAOFpI
Williams takes the lead in this new superhero movie which opened Friday; it's actually the 13th and final installment in the X-Men film series. She plays Rahne Sinclair, a Scottish mutant who can turn into a wolf, something she finds difficult to reconcile with her religious beliefs. Her character is also notable for being in a queer relationship with Dani Moonstar (Blu Hunt), delivering another shot in the arm for LGBTQ representation in comic book movies.
9. The Owners (2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMvJSivVNrs
Williams stars opposite Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy in this grisly-looking horror film opening Friday (September 4). She plays a young woman persuaded by her friends to break into the house of a rich elderly couple (McCoy and Rita Tushingham) for an easy score, only to discover the owners are far more menacing than they seem. It looks like Williams and McCoy have plenty of fun causing trouble for one another.
10. Two Weeks to Live (2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVJ21AxiNBw
This offbeat comedy series seems like a perfect fit for Williams, who's great at bringing left-of-center characters to life. She plays Kim, a young woman raised off-the-grid in northern Scotland by her doomsday prepper mom (Fleabag and Quiz's Sian Clifford). Seeking to expand her horizons in a seriously intense way, she travels to England's south coast so she can track down the man who killed her father and exact revenge. Arya Stark would be proud, no? Two Weeks to Live has just begun on U.K. network Sky One, though sadly there's no word yet on a U.S. airing.
Have we missed out one of your favorite Maisie Williams roles?