While airing, Game of Thrones was known as one of the most brutal shows on television. No character felt safe as, at any given moment, a fan-favorite Game of Thrones character could meet a tragic end. Even characters that were widely considered to have plot armor, and safe from death, still found themselves in terrifying and painful situations. This helped make Game of Thrones one of the most engaging and talked about shows throughout its peak seasons.

For all of the painful moments these characters have experienced, their actors have mostly escaped harm. With the help of stunt doubles and general protection that comes during production, rarely was a beloved Game of Thrones actor put in harm’s way. That doesn’t mean their experiences with the show were not harm-free. Maisie Williams, who played Arya Stark in the show, had a series of scenes later in the series that tested her pain threshold, leading to one of her most painful experiences during her time on Game of Thrones.

The Lead-Up To Maisie Williams’ Painful Scenes

To Exact Revenge, Arya Needed To Leave The Past Behind

Notable Names On Arya’s Kill List:

Joffrey Baratheon
Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane
Sandor “The Hound” Clegane
Walder Frey (Killed by Arya)
Cersei Lannister
Tywin Lannister
Meryn Trant (Killed by Arya)

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Arya’s journey inGame of Thronesis one fueled by revenge. Her desire to knock out her “kill list” kept her going despiteall of her trials and tribulations. At the end of Season 4, Arya, who had recently been traveling with The Hound, had left him to die. Trying to figure out where to go next, Arya discovers a ship set to depart. When she learns the ship is destined for the Free Cities of Braavos, she sees it as an opportunity to reunite with Jaqen H’ghar, the Faceless Man who aided her earlier in the series.

Upon arriving in Braavos, Arya makes a beeline for the House of Black and White to train in the ways of the Faceless Men. Arya begins her training with Jaqen and is later given the assignment to kill someone known only as the “thin man” who can be found in Ragman Harbor. Before Arya can assassinate the thin man, she discovers that Meryn Trant is in the area. With Trant on her kill list, Arya suspends her mission to assassinate the thin man to pursue a more personal quarry.

Arya learns more about Trant’s whereabouts and horrid interests before returning to Jaqen, explaining that she’ll try to assassinate the thin man tomorrow. The next night, Arya poses as one of the young girls Trant was with using one of the Faceless Men’s disguises and proceeds to kill him. Arya had finally killed the name at the top of her list, the man responsible for the death of her old mentor Syrio Forel.As Arya goes to return the face she used at the House of Black and White, she is confronted by Jaqen and the Waif, an unnamed acolyte who serves the Faceless Men. Jaqen is disappointed that Arya used the powers of the Faceless Men to take a life she was not designated to kill. In turn, this shows that she still saw herself as Arya Stark and not “no one.” As punishment, Arya was rendered blind, which serves as the conclusion of her Season 5 story arc. It is through this blindness that Maisie Williams’ iconic role caused her immense pain.

Maisie Williams Wore Special Contacts

The 16-Millimeter Contacts Made Her Blind While Wearing Them

For this brief Season 5 scene and subsequent scenes in Season 6, Williams wore special contacts that not only gave the appearance of blindness but also made her blind during the filming of those scenes. It was initially rumored that Williams was given the option of CGI or contact, but she confirmed on Late Night with Seth Meyers that there was never a choice saying, “I read somewhere that they gave me the option between CGI and contact lenses, which isn’t true at all. They just said, contact lenses,” Williams continued further, “So I had to wear these thick contact lenses that were, like, 16 millimeters and hand-painted so they looked all murky. And they were so, so painful.” Williams further explains that the 16-millimeter contacts were primarily for close-up shots. For any high-movement action scenes, she had contact with small holes so that she could see and not accidentally harm anyone or herself. However, for those close-up scenes, Williams could not see whatsoever.Williams initially embraced wearing the contacts. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Williams explained, “I was so up for the contacts. I love having something weird going on on the set. There’s never a day where I just sat and did dialogue there’s always something going on.” Williams continued, “Then I realized they were the most painful things ever. And I hate saying that because I hate hearing people complain about things like that, and I’m like ‘It’s not that hard.’ You hear about Jennifer Lawrence and her blue paint [in X-Men] and I remember thinking, ‘That can’t hurt.’

Now I’m like, “Holy s***, I’m sorry I ever felt like that because these little things in your eyes are so thick, they’re the most painful things ever.” I didn’t anticipate they’d get so sore after such little time.

Even just reading Williams’ account can bring a sharp pain to anyone’s eyes just imagining what that experience could have been like. Even those who wear normal, contacts have occasionally run into issues such as burning, itchiness, dryness, and red eyes, leaving those people to resort to wearing glasses all day. Having 16-millimeter contacts that were painted over to simulate blindness must have been an extremely unpleasant experience in itself. Not to mention having to act despite the constant distraction and pain while wearing them.

Arya Wasn’t Blind Forever

Arya Was Able To Regain Her Eyesight Early In Season 6

Episode
Name
Length
Air Date

Season 5, Episode 10
“Mother’s Mercy”
61 Minutes
June 14, 2015

Season 6, Episode 1

“The Red Woman”
50 Minutes
April 24, 2016

Season 6, Episode 2
“Home”
54 Minutes
May 1, 2016

Season 6, Episode 3
“Oathbreaker”
53 Minutes
May 8, 2016

Thankfully, Williams’ painful contacts were short-lived. In “The Red Woman,” Arya initially begins Season 6 still blind and continuing with her training. This time, she’s a beggar. She’s initially distracted by overhearing a conversation about Trant’s death before she’s confronted by the Waif for some combat training with a fighting staff. Naturally, the Waif defeats Arya with ease. The Waif leaves while promising to return tomorrow.

In the following episode, “Home,” the Waif returns to Arya and asks for her name. Arya responds with, “No one.” The Waif doesn’t believe Arya and hits her. Arya tries to fight back, but the Waif disappears. Instead, she finds herself in the presence of Jaqen. Jaqen asks Arya to say her name, and if she does, he promises her a roof over her head, food to eat, and the return of her sight. Every time Jaqen asks, Arya responds the same way, “no one.” Jaqen accepts her responses and leads her back to the House of Black and White. Arya’s time as a beggar is over.

In the third episode of Season 6, “Oathbreaker,” Arya ironically stays true to her new oath. Arya continues her combat training with the Waif while also blindly mixing potions. While training, the Waif asks Arya a series of questions about her background and the people on her kill list. The Waif still has trouble believing that Arya is committed to being “no one,” however, Arya manages to deflect the Waif’s attacks and avoid damage. Afterward, Jaqen asks Arya her name to which responds “A girl has no name.” Jaqen puts this response to the test by having Arya drink the water he offers. If Arya was uncommitted to being “no one” she almost certainly would die, so Arya was initially reluctant to drink it. Jaqen reassures her that if she truly is “no one” then nothing bad would happen. Arya drinks the water and immediately regains her sight.

Ultimately, Arya’s blindness only lasted for the end of the Season 5 finale and the first three episodes of Season 6. Arya would be able to keep her sight for the rest of the series and was even able to make her way back to Westeros to continue crossing off names on her kill list. While Season 5 and thereafter failed to capture the highs of the first four seasons, fans who are rewatching Game of Thrones can now watch those Arya scenes to consider how much Williams put herself through to bring Arya to life.