Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe had never seen an episode of Game of Thrones until the penultimate installment of Season 8 aired in 2019. While many of us here dropped everything to tune in every Sunday, some didn’t have time for it.
The actor was seemingly pressured to give in to the hype and get a glimpse of what the show was about when his mates were having a watch party. The challenge was how he was going to understand the story.
Daniel Radcliffe Was Amazed With Maisie Williams’ Arya Stark in Game of Thrones
Daniel Radcliffe did not want to miss out on his friends’ watch party and decided to hop in even though he had no clue what Game of Thrones was about. The HBO series ran from 2011 to 2019 with eight seasons to enjoy, but the Harry Potter alum only got to cherish the last two episodes of the entire saga.
Speaking with ExtraTV, he confessed, “I watched my first-ever episode the other night with no context at all.” He was referring to the penultimate episode of Season 8 entitled The Bells. The actor tried to figure everything out but admitted, “I was very confused. [There was] a lot of explaining, mainly of the relationships, who people were to other people.”
It was one of the most nerve-wracking episodes in the entire franchise. This chapter saw Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen burn King’s Landing out of rage. But, what caught Radcliffe’s eyes was Maisie Williams’ Arya Stark. The young warrior notably chose life over seeking revenge, walking away from the looming destruction of the city.
I enjoyed it. I could watch Maisie Williams be someone out to kill people for days, she’s awesome. The whole thing was great.
Throughout the series, Arya has been a fan-favorite character because of her fierce personality and combat skills. She has a list of people she intends to take out, and she has killed the most despicable villains in the show, such as Walder Frey, Littlefinger, and the Night King. It’s no wonder why Radcliffe likes the actress’ portrayal so much.
We’re not sure if the actor found the time to go back and start watching the show from the beginning, but he seemed to have enjoyed the episode even though he was very much confused.
Maisie Williams Didn’t Like Arya Stark’s Fate in the Final Season
Many were disappointed with Arya’s arc in the season finale, and Williams was definitely one of them. The actress voiced her thoughts on what she hoped should have happened in Season 8 in her conversation with Entertainment Weekly, “I wanted Arya to kill Cersei even if it means [Arya] dies too.”
Her character left King’s Landing just before the city crumbled and the Red Keep collapsed on Cersei and Jamie Lannister. Williams expressed regret that the episode did not show the Kingslayer taking off his face to reveal a revengeful Arya who was ready to die as long as she got to kill her mortal enemy.
Game of Thrones is currently available to watch on HBO.
