Maisie Williams says she struggled to find her identity while growing up on 'Game of Thrones:' 'I was so lost for so long'

• Maisie Williams reflected on her personal life with The Sunday Times in London.
• Williams, 26, said she struggled to find her identity while filming "Game of Thrones."

Maisie Williams had trouble finding her identity while growing up on the "Game of Thrones" set, saying, "I was lost for so long."

Williams reflected on her life after "Game of Thrones" during an interview with The Sunday Times in London. Williams portrayed Arya Stark for eight seasons on the acclaimed HBO series, which garnered numerous awards and catapulted the cast into global superstardom. Williams was 12 years old when she was cast as one of the Stark children.

"Playing characters has been so enthralling, but I've done that through a really formative time in my life," Williams said.

She told the outlet that growing up on "Game of Thrones" meant forming her real-world identity became difficult.

"I was so lost for so long, and I knew that I was, and when I couldn't pin down what I felt my identity was within that, it brought me a lot of discomfort," Williams told the outlet. "Now I feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin. It's hard to even put myself back there and talk about how tough it was just because I think it's done."

Other "Game of Thrones" stars have shared similar sentiments, including Sophie Turner, who played Sansa Stark. She told The Cut in May 2022 that she'll "probably exhibit some signs of trauma down the road" due to the "heavy" subject matter portrayed on the show.

Williams told The Sunday Times in London that she tries to offer guidance to other child stars navigating the entertainment industry.

"I really dig within myself to try and bring out something that I feel would be really useful," Williams said. "I've no idea if I ever have. But I know that at least they could text me or call me."

Williams is now starring in Apple TV+'s new series, "The New Look," which focuses on the fashion world during and after the Nazi occupation of Paris. She plays Catherine Dior, the younger sister of Christian Dior.

"I've found it really hard to land roles that are in a world like 'The New Look' because of the Arya Stark character," Williams told The Sunday Times of London. "But the most amazing thing was that Todd [Kessler, the show's creator] had never seen a single episode, so he just got to meet me as a 24-year-old woman and see a character like Catherine within me without having this tarnished view of me being kind of a scruffy boy."