Once a Stark always a Stark.
Even though Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner aren't Arya and Sansa Stark on Game of Thrones anymore (we're crying internally), they'll always be Starks at heart and sisters forever. They even have matching tattoos to prove it.
They grew up together on the set of the hit HBO series and learned to master the art of controlling their behind-the-scenes shenanigans... for the most part. While their strong characters mostly had serious scenes, they had so much fun on set. According to Turner, their friendship got so tight on set that they hardly ever socialized with anyone else.
Since leaving Game of Thornes, the best friends have gone on to do other things. Turner is a wife and a mother now, and Williams has created an app and is starring in New Mutants, but their friendship has survived, even if it's harder to see each other with their busy schedules and a global pandemic.
Turner Said That Williams Helped Her A Lot While On Set
Turner and Williams got so close while filming that Turner thinks their friendship started to have a "destructive side," because they didn't talk to anyone else on set apart from each other.
But their relationship had tons of positives too. Turner revealed on Dr. Phil's Phil in the Blanks podcast that she went through a lot in her early days on Games of Thrones. She started to battle depression as a result, she thinks, of living at home while her friends were at college, and having Williams on set with her really helped.
"I have a friend, Maisie, who was on the show with me, she's just a year younger than me and she and I were growing up together," Turner told Dr. Phil. "She was my best friend, and she was the only one I really told about all of it."
"Maisie and I used to [stay inside] together," she continued. "I think being friends with each other was quite destructive because we were going through the same thing. We used to get home from set, go to a Tesco across the road, a little supermarket, and just buy food. We'd go back to our room and eat it in bed. We never socialized for a couple of years. We didn't socialize with anyone but ourselves."
Another fun activity they used to do together while filming was getting high, eating food, and then sitting in the tub together while they rubbed makeup brushes on their faces.
Turner told Vogue Paris, "My best friend, Maisie ... she and I have a very, like, intense friendship, a friendship that, like, I haven't had with any of my other girlfriends before."
Turner's also said in the past that they are each other's protectors. We just love them.
Williams Couldn't Make Turner's First Wedding To Joe Jonas But She Made Up For It Later
Unfortunately, Williams didn't quite have enough time to spontaneously fly all the way to Las Vegas for Turner's shotgun wedding to Joe Jonas. It was so last minute that not even Turner's mother knew about it until after it happened.
But Williams did make up for it eventually. She was a bridesmaid for her best friend when it came time for the couple's actual wedding in France not long after.
More recently, though, Turner's been busy welcoming her first child with Jonas and quarantining like everyone else, which is probably why the best friends haven't really seen each other. Williams hasn't even been able to meet her little niece at all yet.
Williams told Elle in September 2020, "No, sadly I haven't really been traveling much, so I've not met the baby!" she explained, "But I have been keeping in touch with the cast. We have a group chat where we all speak, which is really nice."
Williams probably couldn't have traveled even if she wanted because she's based in the U.K. and the Jonas' live in California. With the travel ban in place, Williams probably wouldn't have been let in the country. But there's nothing to stop her from seeing her friend's new baby over FaceTime.
When they can get together, Williams and Turner plan on discussing a possible movie they can once again co-star in together. The collaboration plans were first thought of back in 2019. Turner explained that she and Williams wanted to make a film loosely based around their own friendship.
"We felt like we wanted to write a movie about a friendship where it’s kind of like you’re soulmates, but you’re friends and it’s like this beautiful connection but it can also be quite destructive," Turner told Vogue Paris.
Speaking about roles, Williams recently revealed that it was Turner, an X-Men alum herself, who convinced her to take the role of Rahne Sinclair in New Mutants. The director Josh Boone, came to her about it shortly after Turner had worked on Dark Phoenix, so of course, Williams confided in her closest confidant.
"She basically said 'Eventually you are going to want to do something again which is either a franchise or a series because it’s really great exposure,'" Williams told Grazia. "And she was like, 'If you are happy with the longevity of the character and you have an idea of where the character is going in possible future films, then go for it."
It was great advice for Williams, and she took it. "It’s so wonderful having Sophie as a friend and a voice of reason," Williams concluded.
So while it might be a while until the friends can see each other and start work on a possible collaboration (finally!), we know that they are always there for each other no matter what. We plan to rewatch some of Sansa and Arya's best moments on Game of Thrones on their unofficial holiday, August 7th, the day they both found out they'd be sisters on the show. We love Mophie.