Sophie Turner & Maisie Williams Open Up About Their Friendship That Goes Beyond ‘Game Of Thrones’
It’s been 10 years since Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams joined the cast of Game of Thrones as the Stark sisters when the duo sparked an on-set friendship that’s now a decade old — and still going strong. Sitting down with Glamour UK, the two women gushed about their special bond and joked about how their closeness sometimes makes people think they are a “couple” — a rumor that they don’t find offensive at all.
“People always think Maisie and I are a couple. I mean, I am obsessed with her, so you never know. She’s my drug. I’ve got an addiction to Maisie Williams. I actually stalk her hashtag on Instagram,” Turner revealed.
The two friends shared that beyond their matching “07.08.09” tattoos that mark the anniversary of the day they met on set, they’re constantly in contact via text message and social media, and when they get together, they pick up right where they left off. In the decade that they’ve been joined at the hip, both on and off set, they’ve seen each other through everything — work problems, boy drama, ridiculous hairdos, and most importantly, their mental health struggles.
Williams said that Turner is the person she seeks out when she’s feeling low or has a problem that she can’t work out on her own. The Game of Thrones starlet said that it was Turner who pushed her to seek out a therapist to further help her cope with some devastating moments in her life.
“Whenever I’m like, ‘I need help! This is bigger than anything I can sort out on my own,’ Sophie is my point of call. I think therapy is so important. You should absolutely speak to someone, even if in your head you go, ‘Yeah, I knew that!'”
Both Turner and Williams both opened up about their struggles with body image, which can sometimes cause problems for young women in Hollywood who are consistently in the press and have to see themselves portrayed on screen. Williams said that it had become increasingly difficult for her to consider herself “attractive” since her role of Arya Stark is a bit of a tomboy versus Turner’s glamorous version of sister Sansa.
“But I don’t know that you can ever really get away from the intense pressure of body image when you’re an actor. It was something I never cared about. I never thought I was fat until I became an actor,” Williams shared.
Turner echoed Williams’ statement, saying that when she first started acting, she thought she would have to be “skinny for the rest of her life.” They both lean support to one another and lift each other up when they are having self-doubt about their weight, appearance, and their portrayal on screen — and have a deep appreciation for the bond they share.
Though Season 8 of Game of Thrones may be the last time fans of the duo see them on screen together, they do make frequent appearances on one another’s social media accounts, and from the sound of it, that won’t be changing any time soon.
