08 February 2024 , 10:48
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Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams says she lost more than two stone as she spoke of the "relentless" lengths she went to so she could play "emaciated" Catherine Dior - including waking up at 4am specifically to sweat.
The actress confirmed she dropped 26Ibs ahead of the Apple TV+ ten-parter The New Look, a series that focuses on fashion giants Christian Dior and Coco Chanel during the Nazi occupation of Paris in World War II. The historical drama explores the untold tale of the designer's younger sister Catherine, and the actress made a lot of sacrifices to tell her story.
She managed to shift weight mostly through sweating out fluid just before the cameras started to roll but needed to do it in the early hours, too. She said it was a pre-filming technique that boxers and racing jockeys use before they compete. Maisie says she packed up her "whole life and moved to Paris" for the part, while getting just three hours' sleep in the process.
Maisie plays Christian Dior's younger sister Catherine in the historical series (Corbis via Getty Images)
She says she had to lose two stone so should could properly play the role (Dave Benett/Getty Images for EE)Speaking to Harper's Bazaar, she said: "I was eating very little, meditating all the time, burning candles and incense in my apartment. I had to be up at 4am to start sweating. The night before, at about 7 or 8pm I was allowed to have something salty and dehydrating – some smoked salmon and a tiny glass of wine.
"Then I had a boiling-hot bath with lots of salts in it. And I sort of levitated to bed and slept for maybe three hours, and woke up and had a handful of nuts - I wouldn't be able to sleep through the night at this point, I kept waking up and feeling like a marble inside a bottle, rattling around."
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Maisie, who has had to overcome struggles with her identity, anxiety and battled through mental health issues ever since she was a child, added: "It was very relentless. The process of doing take after take, it really breaks down your character in a way. It's not for everyone, but for me, I like to get lost in a role, and keep on pushing until we complete a scene."
Back in 2022, the actress opened up about her family torment and a traumatic relationship with her father who her mother “escaped” from when she was only four months old. The 26-year-old, cast when she was just 12 on the smash hit show, has candidly discussed just how hard her start to life was.
Maisie in her latest role as Catherine Dior in Apple TV+ series (Apple)Speaking to the Diary of a CEO Podcast host Steven Bartlett, she said it all finally came out after she was taken to the staff room at school by a worried teacher. The Brit told the business tycoon in their boundary-breaking conversation that she has begun meditation and therapy to get to the bottom of her struggles.
The actress, who played impulsive and fearless Arya Stark in cult show Game of Thrones, said it all came to a head one morning at school. "I had a traumatic relationship with my dad and ever since I can remember I have struggled sleeping," she said on the show. "When I was about eight I was really struggling.
"It had met its peak and when I was at school I was taken by a teacher to the staff room. She ask me what had happened. She asked me if I ate breakfast I said no, and asked if I did most mornings. I said no. They were asking the right questions. My mum came to school and picked me up.
"It was the first time that all of the doors were open and it was the first time things were on the table. I still wanted to fight and say these things aren't wrong, that you're just trying to take me away from my dad. I was indoctrinated in a way. I think that's why I'm obsessed with cults! My world flipped."