Actress Maisie Williams suggests Game of Thrones season 8 and season 1 are connected. On the HBO series, the English actress portrays Arya Stark, a seemingly emotionless character who contrasts the personalities of her Stark siblings, including Jon Snow. In a new Rolling Stone feature about Williams’ sisterhood with fellow Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), she makes a telling yet cryptic statement about the Game of Thrones season 8 story. 

Williams has portrayed Game of Thrones’ Arya Stark for the past 10 years. The HBO series famously scrapped its original pilot, and subsequently replaced Tamzin Merchant with Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen. In addition, Williams’ initial on-screen mother, Jennifer Ehle, was replaced by Michelle Fairley for the Catelyn Stark role. In the Game of Thrones series narrative, several members of House Stark are killed while Arya tries to find her way back home. Given the character’s do-it-yourself mentality and aspirations to cross off names from a kill list, Game of Thrones’ fans have been speculating about Arya’s ultimate fate in Winterfell, especially as the incoming Night King and his Army of the Dead may correlate with secrets from the past.

Related: Game of Thrones Season 8 Trailer Breakdown

In the Rolling Stone interview, both Williams and Turner reflect on their friendship and Game of Thrones experience. Curiously, Williams notes that she felt inclined to rewatch Game of Thrones season 1 after reading the the final season's scripts, offering the following hint: “After I read season 8, I watched season 1 - there’s a lot of similarities.” Meanwhile, Turner states the she feels “very satisfied with the ending of the entire show,” and that “every story arc came to a really good close.” For the Game of Thrones faithful, Williams’ eagerness to rewatch the original episodes may place even more importance on January’s season 8 teaser entitled “Crypts of Winterfell.”

Jon Snow holding a baby Ghost

Even though Williams’ Rolling Stone statements may fuel existing theories, they shouldn’t come as a surprise to many Game of Thrones fans. After all, Arya Stark’s relatives are buried in the Winterfell Crypt, and her half-brother Jon Snow has yet to learn the full truth about his lineage. So, it’s only natural that Williams would return to Game of Thrones season 1 in order to revisit the past, just like so many of the series’ fans have done in anticipation of the final episodes. 

Based on various Game of Thrones season 8 theories, however, the Winterfell Crypt may be far more than just a place to remember the dearly departed. Fans want to know the full truth about the Stark bloodline, and what, or who, may be possibly lurking within the Winterfell crypt, or even beneath. We’ll find out more when Game of Thrones season 8 premieres. 

More: Game of Thrones Season 8 Theory: The Starks Are Descended From White Walkers

Game of Thrones season 8 premieres Sunday April 14 on HBO.

Source: Rolling Stone