Maisie Williams, known to many as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, is part of a generation that’s mobilising for climate action. In a new, forthcoming interview with Dazed, out later this week as part of our A Future World campaign, Williams details her own perspective on the climate crisis, and what’s being done to combat a global emergency.
“I thought that it was common knowledge and everyone was working together to try and stop it,” she tells Dazed. “Later in life, I’ve realised that there are many people, some in really powerful places, who still seem to refuse the science.”
With the UK officially declaring a climate emergency and activists shutting down cities across the world in response to crisis, Williams isn’t alone in her concern and desire for action. “I don’t want to be denied the right to have children because the world is burning,” she says. It’s a relevant, urgent issue: many people have joined the #BirthStrike movement, fearing bringing children into a world that’s facing existential doom.
Williams also tells Dazed of her hope for the future, encouraged by current activist movements, and individuals like her brother. “Activist groups like Extinction Rebellion, my friends who choose to live plastic free, and my brother, who was arrested while protesting for action,” she says of those who inspire her. She claimed that grassroots, on-the-ground activists are “the ones who are doing something about it”.
Williams has been a vocal advocate for change and progression – back when she was on the cover four years ago, she told Dazed: “I picked up my voice at a young age and I wanna use it.”
As part of Dazed’s A Future World Campaign, we spoke with Williams about her thoughts on climate change in an expansive roundtable discussion of artists, musicians, activists, and actors. The full interview will be published on Dazed Digital this week, alongside a range of articles and film exploring the era of climate emergency and action.