Game of Thrones Producers Played This Prank On Sophie Turner And Maisie Williams In Season 1
While some wish Game of Thrones' series finale was an elaborate prank, there were actually quite a few hijinks happening behind-the-scenes. A few of them are revealed in Fire Cannot Kill
a Dragon, a book that digs into the history of the hit HBO show.
One such prank occurred at the start of the show's run in 2009, shortly after filming the very first episode. It targeted Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), whose real-life friendship has been long-documented throughout Game of Thrones' eight seasons. "Here’s a minor prank we pulled during season 1: We told Maisie and Sophie that since they were underage, they couldn’t come to the pilot wrap party," showrunner David Benioff told author James Hibberd, via Entertainment Weekly. "So we told them they were going to have a special underage wrap party at McDonald’s. They started crying."
Turner, age 13 at the time, and Williams, then age 12, did end up attending the official wrap party. However, showrunner Dan Weiss said the pair got emotional for a whole other reason. "Then they came to the real wrap party and cried through that—because they thought they might never see each other again," Weiss revealed for the book.
Emotions ran high because, at that point, the GoT cast and crew had only filmed one episode of the show and had not been confirmed for a full season. As faithful Westeros followers know, the series would get picked up and become one of the most popular franchises of all time. It also led to the continuation of Williams and Turner's friendship, although the duo is currently geographically separated from one another.
During a recent interview with ELLE.com, Williams confirmed that she had yet to meet Turner's daughter Willa with husband Joe Jonas. "No, sadly I haven't really been traveling much, so I've not met the baby!" she explained, adding, "But I have been keeping in touch with the cast. We have a group chat where we all speak, which is really nice."
Once they can be reunited, the co-stars-turned-besties even have plans to write a movie together.