Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams reveals how a story about a bowling ball was her big break

Maisie Williams has spoken out about her big break into acting, which was by showing off her improv skills… to make up a fake story about a bowling ball.

The actress behind Game of Thrones‘ Arya Stark was speaking to students at Central St Martins in London.

Maisie originally wanted to become a dancer, but her parents couldn’t afford the fees to send her to a performing arts boarding school. In retrospect, she can now see that this was a “blessing in disguise.”

Read more: Everything You Need To Know About The ‘Game Of Thrones’ Dead Ned Theory

She said: “I continued dancing locally and when I was 11, I was bursting in excitement when my dance teacher told me of a talent show which boasted opportunities of making you a star.

“During an improvised acting workshop I met a woman called Louise Johnson. She gave me the words ‘bowling ball’ and asked me to create a short scene inspired by those words.

“After making her laugh with a fictional story about how I threw a bowling ball at my brother and it bounced, she asked me to join her acting agency.”

Read more: Maisie Williams just gave us the Stark reunion we didn’t know we needed

Maisie was disappointed to fail an early audition, for the Nanny McPhee sequel, but then auditioned for Game of Thrones nearly a decade ago. She won the role of ‘wolf-blooded’ warrior Arya Stark, which has landed her an Emmy nomination.

The final series of Game of Thrones which starts next month.