On a sweltering August afternoon, Maisie Williams looks every bit the part of someone ready for a summer escape, her brown hair pulled back in a simple braid. For an actor who's rocked everything from platinum blonde to bubblegum pink and lilac locks, this understated look feels almost surprising. But then again, Williams has never been one to stay put for long.
Most audiences first met Williams as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, a role that catapulted the then-13-year-old into stardom. Over eight seasons and 73 episodes, she embodied the fierce, determined youngest Stark daughter as she journeyed across Westeros, trained as an assassin, and ultimately returned to Winterfell to avenge her family. Now, at 29, Williams is carving out a new path, one that's led her to the bewitching world of Practical Magic 2.
The sequel, set 25 years after the original, finds the Owens women still grappling with a curse that dooms any man who falls in love with them. Sally (Sandra Bullock) has turned her back on magic after tragedy strikes, keeping her daughters Kylie (Joey King) and Antonia (Williams) in the dark about their heritage. But when danger looms, Sally must re-embrace her powers to protect her family and finally break the curse.
Williams was drawn to the project largely because of director Susanne Bier, the acclaimed filmmaker behind The Night Manager and Bird Box. "I didn't know much about what Antonia would be doing, but I received a few scenes that I really loved, and I was asked to tape, and I did," Williams recalls. "I'm a big fan of all the cast, but I'm a big fan of Susanne Bier, and I've been wanting to work with her for a long time. So when I heard she was directing, I thought, 'This could work.'"
Williams also found the film's blend of tones appealing. "In moments it can be really serious, and in other moments it can be really fun," she says. Her character, Antonia, is a medical student, which gave Williams a unique entry point. "I was excited by the journey of incorporating magic and medicine, because I felt like it was a different journey to what the movie is even about. It's like blending the yin and yang, and that's kind of what the Owens sisters do."
Working alongside Bullock, Kidman, Stockard Channing, and Dianne Wiest was a masterclass in acting. Williams found herself studying her co-stars' methods. "Sandra and Nicole are real movie stars," she says. "Nicole is someone who is listening and wants to feel it, and then she'll react and build, and it's very in the moment." She also watched Bullock meticulously craft a scene, stumbling over furniture for comedic effect. "The most hilarious physical comedian ever in Hollywood. I watched her piece it together, build it up, tear it back, and then she created it."
Beyond the performances, Williams was struck by the abundance of female talent both in front of and behind the camera. "It changes the energy, having so many women around and having so many women in power," she says. "It becomes more reflective of the world we live in." She notes that on many sets, it's still rare to see such balance. "How are we supposed to make art that reflects life if the crews aren't reflecting the streets you walk down? So, yeah, I live for it."
For Williams, the experience was both fun and formative. "I used to tell myself in the trailer, 'Okay, lock in. Focus,' because I was just having so much fun," she admits. The actor, who once dreamed of dancing, has come a long way from Westeros. With Practical Magic 2 now in theaters, she's proving that her own magic is just beginning. And while she hasn't ruled out a return to Arya Stark, she's clearly excited about the future. As she puts it, "I'm embracing who I am now, and I'm more excited than ever about what's ahead."
