Maisie Williams Hopes to Never Play a Character “Only There to Benefit a Male Lead”
Maisie Williams proves you don’t have to be around long to figure out the inequalities in the world. In a recent Radio Times interview she takes a stand for “strong female characters” and women in Hollywood.
The actor, currently taking a turn on BBC’s Doctor Who (I haven’t watched the Season 9 episodes yet so no spoilers!), but best known for her role as Arya on HBO’s Game of Thrones, spoke to the Radio Times recently about things she’s noticed in her short time working in the business.
Mashable had a look at the issue and reported Williams saying:
I didn’t realise when I was younger that women were written so badly, but going further into this career I realised there are a lot of really bad characters, that it’s not common to come across females who aren’t just ‘the girlfriend.’
To that end, she also spoke of character descriptions she’s come across in scripts:
When you get a script they always include a sentence or two about the character, something like: ‘Jason: 36, strong, built, quick, witty’ and a description of his personality…Then there’s a description of the girlfriend — ‘Sarah: hot, blonde.’ And that’s it! Hot-looking but in a cute way. That’s your character!
Of the hotly contested “strong female character” archetype Williams (who also told them she’s “trying to be a good role model”) said “They’re real women, and not just an idea of how a woman is or an accessory.”
And her hopes for her future career path? “You can’t pick and choose everything, but I hope to never have to play a character that is only there to benefit a male lead.”
Love her.