“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”, she told the new issue of Radio Times.
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She added that it was something her Doctor Who co-star Jenna Coleman had also picked up on from reading character descriptions in scripts. Sadly, even though they miraculously pull that off, they are desperately outnumbered and outgunned, as the synopsis for the “Doctor Who” season 9 episode ominously teases.
The episode, entitled The Girl Who Died, sees the teenager portray a viking named Ashildr opposite Jenna Coleman’s character Clara Oswald, who serves as the Doctor’s time-travelling companion.
“I was approached for the role, I didn’t know much about it but knew they were introducing a new character to work closely with the Doctor”, Maisie recalled.
This weekend, 18-year-old Maisie Williams, one of the biggest breakout stars of Game of Thrones, will appear in the first of a two-part episode of Doctor Who.
Maisie Williams wants more well-written female characters like Arya Stark in movies and television. We suppose if you’d splashed out on that costume you’d want it to be seen as much as possible…
Williams has previously spoken out about sexism in the production industry, telling Time earlier this year, “When you find something that actually goes in depth about who the female character is, what drives her, not just her hair color, that’s better”. Arya… no, sorry, ASHILDR, will need-le all the help she and her people can get if they’re doing to survive. It is so nice how they’ve incorporated the previous seasons in to the more recent episodes. It just looks so great with all of us in our Viking outfits, Jenna in her space suit and the Doctor in his cool coat with his insane sunglasses. “And like a lot of other fantasy, the show takes on controversial topics”.
In addition, Williams is set to take on the leading role in the upcoming young adult zombie film, “The Forest of Hands and Teeth”- Kate Maberly’s film adaptation based on the horror novel of the same title by author Carrie Ryan.
Maisie isn’t certain what her future holds, but says she may return to her dancing roots.
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Olivia’s “Doctor Who” role was a fairly ordinary one… oh, unless you count those terrifying gnashers, that is.
