'Game of Thrones' star: If you're not a feminist, you're a sexist
(Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
For "Game of Thrones" actress Maisie Williams, people who aren't feminists are simply sexist.
The 18-year-old opened up about her views on feminism in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Williams was first asked about her character, Arya, being a feminist during the show's first season, and at the time, she didn't quite know what that meant.
"And then someone explained it to me, and I remember thinking, 'Isn’t that just like everyone?'" she said. "And then I realized everyone is not a feminist, unfortunately. But I also feel like we should stop calling feminists 'feminists' and just start calling people who aren’t feminist 'sexist,' and then everyone else is just a human. You are either a normal person or a sexist."
She said it can be difficult to talk about sensitive issues because people can be mean.
"Once people are angry about something, you start worrying about saying the right thing instead of just saying what you mean," she said. "It’s very easy to have an opinion. Everyone’s got one. But it’s very difficult to speak up about difficult subjects when people are angry with you."
It's easy to be attacked on social media, from both men and women, but Williams said she's trying to use her platform to speak up even though she's scared.
"I’m trying to do the best I can," she said. "I got a voice. I believe in equality and I know I have more power than the average person to reach people. And I just get petrified in case people are rude. You don’t want to put yourself through that."
"Game of Thrones" returns for its sixth season April 24. With this season moving ahead of the books, Williams said fans of the show are "going to hate it, but love it, and I can’t wait."
Read the rest of her interview with EW here.
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