Kicking ass and taking names for seven seasons of Game Of Thrones, speaking out against unreachable beauty standards, landing major covers (inc. Highsnobiety, NYLON and Dazed) and charming a 7.5 mill Instagram following, it’s safe to say that Maisie Williams has made an impact. This year, she’s stepping into a new side of film in Aardman Animation’s latest release, Early Man, and continuing the conversation for positive societal change. Here’s what happened when ASOS Magazine caught up with the 20-year-old actress to talk about work, film, style and power…
Is your new role in Early Man an indication of a broad range of genres that you want to cover?
‘Absolutely, I want to try comedy. I’ve got a comedy film coming out soon. I enjoy indie movies. I enjoy super-harrowing stories. I’m just like, “Try it all’.’ I’m in a position where there are times when I can choose and I want to choose wisely at this really crucial point in my career.’
Tell us about your newly launched a production company, Daisy Chain…
‘We’ve had scripts coming in all over the place, which is so exciting. I want to move my hand to directing. I have stories that I want to tell, and I think there are things that I have not yet seen done the way I’ve experienced them. I want to get at the effects that [one generation’s behaviour] has on another generation and what that pushes them to do or become. There’s stories I know that I can do.’
How would you advise the next generation?
‘I want to let people know, that from a young age, there’s going to come a time in this system where you’re going to think you’re stupid and you can’t cope and that everyone else can, but you have another gift, it’s just not been exercised yet. If you figure out what it is now, great! Never forget about it! But if you don’t, then it’s cool, because one day [school] is going to be over and you can go and figure out what that is, and you’re going to feel like you have a real purpose in this world.’
Do you have a style persona?
‘I feel like I’m quite eccentric. I’d be the auntie who everyone’s like, “Oh look, it’s red auntie Maisie!” and I’m there, head-to-toe in red, looking fabulous. I like prints, I like colours. There’ll be an outfit leader in the group, today it’s the trousers. It’s all very comfortable and always f***ing fresh.’
What would you most like to be remembered for?
‘I want to make sure I’m part of a generation that did better than the last, and to bring in the new generation and make sure that they do even better than we did. I don’t necessarily want people to know my name throughout history for the humanitarian things I did, but for them to know that if we all keep pushing forwards in a positive way, we can really make a change.’
