Maisie Williams opened up about the scene that left her “broken” in the upcoming Game of Thrones season

After eight years of wondering who will take the Iron Throne, Game of Thrones is coming to an end this spring. Season 8 promises to be filled with action and excitement, but by all accounts, it also left the cast “broken.” As anticipation builds for the show’s final season, more cast members have been opening up about how much work they put into finishing the epic saga—including Arya Stark herself, Maisie Williams. On March 4th, Entertainment Weekly published a first look at the final battle for Westeros, which is reportedly on track to be the longest consecutive battle sequence ever recorded. It’s also Williams’ first big battle as Arya.

"I skip the battle every year, which is bizarre since Arya’s the one who’s been training the most," Williams told EW. "This is my first taste of it. And I’ve been thrown in at the deep end."

The 21-year-old actress recalled that the episode’s director, Miguel Sapochnik, warned her that filming the battle would be grueling, but at the time she didn’t believe him.

"And I said, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah,'" Williams said. "But nothing can prepare you for how physically draining it is. It’s night after night, and again and again, and it just doesn’t stop. You can’t get sick, and you have to look out for yourself because there’s so much to do that nobody else can do…there are moments you’re just broken as a human and just want to cry."

That sounds seriously brutal.

The final battle was even exhausting for the cast members who are battle sequence regulars. Iain Glenn, aka Ser Jorah Mormont, called the shoot “the most unpleasant experience I’ve had on Thrones.

Rory McCann, who plays The Hound, told EW: "Everyone prays they never have to do this again."

Well, if we weren’t already on edge waiting for Season 8 of Game of Thrones, we are now. Hopefully, the cast and crew’s hard work will all be worth it when the series returns on April 15th.

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