Among the many memorable Game of Thrones scenes in a final season filled with some hit-and-miss storytelling was Arya Stark bedding Gendry Baratheon.
Many fans were stunned that the scene happened. One of the most notable was Maisie Williams, who played Arya.
Williams told Teen Vogue that her character’s decision on the eve of a big battle surprised her.
Arya was one of the show’s most popular characters and was celebrated for her independent and fierce personality. Many fans speculated about Arya’s sexuality due to her refusal to conform to what a lady should be.
“The first time that I was surprised by Arya, I guess, was probably in the final series where she whips off her clothes and sleeps with Gendry,” Maisie said. “I thought that Arya was queer, you know? So … yeah. That was a surprise.”
Williams was 22 years old when the final season aired on HBO. Given the odds of surviving the Battle of Winterfell, Arya decided it was then or never.
In a 2019 interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said that when she first read the script in which Arya and Gendry have sex, she thought the series’ creators were pranking her. Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were notorious for sending out fake scripts to their cast to protect spoilers.
“At first, I thought it was a prank,” Williams said. “I was like, ‘Yo, good one.’ And [the showrunners were] like, ‘No, we haven’t done that this year.’ Oh, fuck!”
Arya’s sexual involvement with a man also drew criticism from many Game of Thrones fans, who saw her as a queer character. Although, Arya could still identify as bisexual.
Watch Maisie Williams’ interview with Teen Vogue below.
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