The True Story Behind Maisie Williams And Sophie Turner's Matching Tattoos
Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner's "Game of Thrones" characters were two members of the Stark pack who survived the bloody writer's room onslaught that deprived us of so many of our favorite citizens of the Seven Kingdoms, and the British actors' friendship continued to thrive long after the Night King's icy reign of terror ended.
"People always think Maisie and I are a couple. I mean, I am obsessed with her, so you never know ... I've got an addiction to Maisie Williams," Turner told Glamour UK in 2019. In a joint interview with Rolling Stone, the pals revealed that they're so close that they used to pick each other's noses and pop each other's pimples during the hundreds of sleepovers that they had. "I think I've spent more time in your bed than mine," Williams told Turner elsewhere in the interview.
Their relationship did have to survive a major move on one party's part. When Turner married American singer Joe Jonas, the couple decided to build their own direwolf pack in an area with weather diametrically opposed to that of the Queen of the North's kingdom: Miami, Florida. But in a 2022 interview with Wired, Williams assured fans that she and Turner still love each other deeply and try to spend time together whenever they happen to be in the same country. They also possess permanent mementos of their friendship that keep them connected despite the distance between them.
Why Sophie Turner and Maisie William's tattoos didn't exactly match
Their "Game of Thrones" casting kept Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams employed for years and introduced them to each other, so who can blame them for wanting to commemorate the day their lives changed forever? Speaking to Elle UK, Turner explained that the matching numbers inked on their arms, 07.08.09, represent the date that she and Williams learned they would be playing sisters Sansa and Arya Stark. "When we had a day off from filming in Belfast we just went to a tattoo place and got it done," Turner recalled. The artist responsible for the artwork was Kat Paine, who shared a photo of the co-stars showing off their tats on Instagram in 2016.
In an interview with ET, Turner explained why she requested that Paine use a lighter-colored ink for her body art. "I got it in peach because my mom wanted it to be as invisible as possible, but now I'm showing it to everyone. She's going to be so annoyed," the actor said.
Williams and Turner reminisced about getting their almost-matching ink while chatting to Rolling Stone, revealing that they came up with the idea the same day they visited the tattoo parlor. At the time, they were having a blast in Belfast — they attended a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, purchased identical designer backpacks and sunglasses, and chugged daiquiris at Granny Annie's pub. "That was our best friend day ever," Turner gushed.
Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams' other Game of Thrones tattoos
Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams didn't just pay tribute to their real-life friendship by getting inked — both actors also have non-matching tattoos inspired by their "Game of Thrones" characters. In 2018, Williams got the words "No One" tattooed directly over her upper vertebrae in red ink. As noted by People, this referred to what was supposed to be Arya Stark's endgame when she joined the Faceless Men. But instead of becoming "no one" as planned, she decided to use her otherworldly assassin skills to exact revenge on her foe, ultimately rejoining the rest of the Stark pack.
Turner's other "Game of Thrones" ink also holds deep significance. Below her left elbow is the profile of a snarling direwolf and the words, "The pack survives." The wolf is the Stark family sigil, and the words are something Sansa Stark said to Arya. Turner got the body art before "Game of Thrones" concluded, and some viewers believed it was a spoiler about who would be left standing after the battle for the Iron Throne concluded and the ashes settled over King's Landing. Turner told Digital Spy, "That tattoo was probably not a good idea, because everyone thought that I'd given away the end. But I haven't."
In an interview with Vogue Paris, Turner said that she and Williams want to write a movie about their friendship, so maybe someday fans will get to watch the duo relive their ink adventures.