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'Game of Thrones' star Maisie Williams says she was hesitant to take on her new role because it had a lot of nudity

Apr 13, 2022, 22:22 IST
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Maisie Williams.Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images
  • "Game of Thrones" star Maisie Williams told GQ Style she was hesitant about her role in "Pistols."
  • Williams, who plays punk icon Jordan Mooney, said she was told the role required a lot of nudity.
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"Game of Thrones" star Maisie Williams told GQ Style that she was hesitant about taking a role in the limited series "Pistols" after being told there was a lot of nudity needed for it.

The upcoming FX Network series is based on guitarist Steve Jones' 2018 memoir "Lonely Boy: Tales From a Sex Pistol" about his time in the legendary '70s English punk rock band the Sex Pistols. Williams plays Jordan Mooney, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 66, a punk fashion icon who worked at the store SEX where the band was formed and often performed.

During an interview with GQ Style, Williams spoke about her audition process for the role where she aired her concerns about the nudity.

After the show's casting directors informed her the role had a lot of nudity, Williams said she was "hesitant at first just because of everything that happens in the industry and all the horror stories I've heard."

"I want to be in this show because I'm the best person to do this, not because I'm the only girl who'll take her top off," she added.

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Williams added that her agent forwarded a clarification from Danny Boyle, the director of the series, that put her mind to rest after she aired her concerns to the casting directors.

"Jordan was a political statement," Williams said. "Her entire ethos was turning the male gaze in on itself, and it was overtly sexual in a way that made other people feel ashamed. If I take my top off, I want to make other people feel uncomfortable."

Maisie Williams as Jordan Mooney in "Pistols" first teaser.FX Networks

Inspired by this, Williams said she arrived at a second Zoom audition for the role with Boyle wearing a sheer KNWLS top without a bra, which impressed the director.

Williams added: "And it worked out. I got the part."

Williams also got to meet the real Mooney, whose real name is Pamela Rooke, as the icon was a consultant for the show and was allowed on set.

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Williams is no stranger to on-screen nudity after starring in HBO's "Game of Thrones" for eight seasons, which was known for its graphic sex and violence. She filmed her character's first sex scene in the final season.

However, her costars have previously spoken out about feeling pressure to do nude scenes after appearing on the show. Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys Targaryen, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019 that she turned down the lead part in "Fifty Shades of Grey" because she didn't want to be "pigeonholed" for on-screen nudity.

Nathalie Emmanuel, who played Missandei on the show, also said on the podcast "Make It Reign with Josh Smith last year that her nude scenes on "Game of Thrones" led to producers assuming she would do the same in other projects.

Outside of the HBO hit series, many actors and actresses have also come out to say that they have refused to film nude scenes because they felt uncomfortable.

"Pistols" premieres on Hulu on May 31.

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