Game of Thrones season 8: Maisie Williams thought Gendry and Arya sex scene in episode 2 was a joke

'I kept myself pretty private'

Maisie Williams has revealed that she thought Arya's controversial scene in the latest Game of Thrones episode was a prank.

The 22-year-old was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly after the broadcast of an instalment featuring her character's very first sex scene.

She explained that she discovered the news that Arya would sleep with Gendry (Joe Dempsie) the night before the battle against the White Walkers from her friend and co-star Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) who had read the script quicker than her.

But, this didn't stop Williams from thinking the scene was a trick being played on her by showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss who had done something similar to Kit Harington in the first season.

“At first, I thought it was a prank,” she said. “I was like, ‘Yo, good one.’ And [they were] like, ‘No, we haven’t done that this year.’

Williams said it was left for her to decide how naked she got on camera. Following the episode, some viewers expressed distaste at the thought that Williams, who was 11 when the show began, would have had to undress in front of crew members who have known her since she was a youngster. Many were also forced to search for Arya's age on the internet.

"David and Dan were like: ‘You can show as much or as little as you want,’” she said, adding: "So I kept myself pretty private. I don’t think it’s important for Arya to flash. This beat isn’t really about that."

Reflecting on what the scene means for her character, Williams continued: “This is something she’s stayed away from, an emotion we’ve never really seen her engage with. David and Dan were like, ‘It’s the end of the world, what else would you have her do?’ This may be is a moment where Arya accepts death tomorrow, which she never does. It’s interesting to see Arya be a bit more human, speak more normally about things people are scared of.”

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Arya was almost part of an incestuous relationship that’s impossible to comprehend.

You can find our extensive ranking of every character – from worst to best – here and our definitive episode ranking below.

Game of Thrones will be available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.