5. A-Maisie-Ing
Episode Six: "A Golden Crown" Commentators: Director Daniel Minahan, Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Harry Lloyd (Viserys Targaryen) Remember what I said about actors and commentary tracks? It's even more unbearable when it comes to child actors as is the case with "Lord Snow," which features Sophie Turner, Isaac Hempstead-Wright and Maisie Williams kicking off the episode by singing along (badly) to the "Game of Thrones" main theme. The commentary track, which is largely banal thanks to Turner and Hempstead-Wright, would be completely devoid of value if not for the occasional chiming in of Maisie Williams, who belies her youth with some remarkable insight into her interpretation of the Arya character and how she engaged with other actors. It's clear from listening to Williams talk that she's a serious talent from whom we can expect great things in the future. It becomes even clearer listening to Daniel Minahan laying out just how serious of an actor Williams is. Miltos Yerolemou, the actor who portrays Arya's fencing instructor, Syrio Forel, is an accomplished theater actor who had learned all the choreography for the training sequences ahead of time, which would no doubt already be intimidating for any young actor, even one of who wasn't fighting with the wrong hand. Martin makes note in the books that Arya is left-handed, but Maisie Williams is not. Knowing that, go back and re-watch some of the training sequences Arya has with Syrio. It's okay, I'll wait. Did you notice the hand Arya was using the whole time to hold the sword? Yup, despite being a young actor with very little prior screen experience and absolutely no prior fight training, Maisie Williams decided to learn how to fight entirely left-handed to be true to her character's nature. That's quite a serious commitment for a young actor and a testament not only to the dedication of Maisie Williams, who was a virtual unknown before being cast, but also to the keen eye of casting director Nina Gold, who can also take credit for finding and perfectly casting the inexperienced Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner and Isaac Hempstead-Wright.