Game of Thrones dominated the media during its run, but one child actor struggled immensely under the pressure. The show focused on an ensemble cast and many of its cast members were under the age of 18 while filming season 1. Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), and Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark) were among the young cast members, and each had arcs of their own that took up major portions of the show.
While it helped them boost their careers, life was not always easy for the members of the Game of Thrones cast. Under the attention, some of the child actors suffered immensely. Speaking with The Sunday Times, Williams, who was just 12 years old when she joined the cast, explained the challenges of growing up with Game of Thrones. Even today, she admits that she struggles to look back on the experience at all. Check out her full quote below:
“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. Now I feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin. It’s hard to even put myself back there and talk about how tough it was just because I think it’s done.”
The Challenges For Game Of Thrones’ Child Actors
During season 1 filming, the pressure on the actors was not quite so immense as it would later become. After the first season was released, there was an average of 2.52 million viewers per episode, according to Game of Thrones‘ ratings. It was still a weighty element for any young actor struggling to keep up with Sean Bean and Lena Headey, but there were fewer eyes dissecting their every move. It was only in later seasons that the ratings began to grow at an utterly unpredictable rate.
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By season 4, the show had 6.84 million viewers, and it ballooned with every following season. The final season saw an average of 11.99 million viewers for each episode. For younger actors, satisfying an audience that large is an extreme challenge.The various season 8 controversies also could not have been easy for a younger actor to manage, especially after growing up on the show.
Even setting aside the unique pressures of Game of Thrones, the life of a child actor has unique difficulties. They are left to balance their own academic studies with script memorization and on-set work. They have to experience life away from home for months at a time, while also having to deal with the challenges of table reads and life surrounded by make-up artists and cameras. It was a massive challenge for Williams, and it is no surprise that she looks back on her experiences with trepidation.
