GoT's Maisie Williams shares careers advice with students

Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams has urged students to “make change yourself” by being rule breakers who are unafraid of taking risks.

The actor said young creatives can overcome the challenges of starting a career by believing in their talent and being bold.

And she called on students at Goldsmiths, University of London to use their abilities to help challenge issues like the lack of diversity and representation in the creative industries.

Maisie said: “Huge companies in the film industry have been running this way for years, with some of the people in power with limited viewpoints.

“There’s a huge change in people like us – we’re the generation that grew up with the internet so have a different take on things.

“You can sit and wait for organisations to change or you can make change yourself.”

She added: “It’s more exciting to not play into the old-fashioned way of working.”

More than 300 Goldsmiths student attended the in-conversation with Maisie, 21, who is best known as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones.  

In the event hosted by Goldsmiths Careers Service on Thursday 24 January, Maisie talked about her career from being a dance-obsessed youngster to the star of one of the biggest shows on television. 

She also stressed the importance of collaboration and networking when starting out – two factors which helped her develop a new creative collaborative digital platform called daisie.

She said: “There can be huge difficulties in the creative industries, it can be so hard to get a job.

“That’s why we came up with the idea for a social network that enables people to connect and work together on projects – to make it easier for those collaborations to take place.”

Maisie also said it was crucial that the creative arts are taken seriously and are seen as being important career pathways. Speaking about the role of institutions like Goldsmiths, she added: “It’s so important to that you can find places like here that celebrate these careers.”

Other advice shared with the students gathered in the Ian Gulland Lecture Theatre included working with mentors who can provide real guidance and insight.

The interview was organised and conducted by Ashley Bheeroo, Employment Engagement Coordinator in the Careers Service at Goldsmiths. He said: “I am proud to have been able to organise Maisie's visit and we were delighted to hear about her new tech venture with daisie.

“At the Careers Service we look to support our students in following their passions and helping them get the careers they want – we’re always available and here to help.”

In a question and answer session with students, Maisie was tight-lipped over her character’s fate in Game of Thrones, which sees the eighth and final season broadcast in April.

After playing Arya for such a long time, Maisie said: “I’m definitely going to miss her but it feels like the right time, it’s the right time to say goodbye. It got to me on the final day. I said my speech, cried and then took off my costume for the last time.”

Find out how the Careers Service can help you.

Information about daisie can be found here.