Maisie Williams came very close to skipping her Game of Thrones audition after another tempting opportunity presented itself. On this morning’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the actress opened up about the school trip that nearly cost her her breakout role as Arya Stark.

While promoting her new Apple TV+ series The New Look, Williams told host Drew Barrymore that she was only 12 years old when she had to make the difficult decision between auditioning for Game of Thrones or going to a pig farm with her classmates.

“There was this school trip to a pig farm,” she explained. “It was the same day as my audition. I said to my mom, ‘Do you think we can just miss this one and go to the pig farm instead?’ Thank god she said, ‘Let’s not. Let’s go to the audition.’”

Williams added, “But I missed out on the pigs and it’s really, really affected me in my core ever since.”

The Emmy-nominated star ultimately appeared on Game of Thrones from 2011 until its series finale in 2019. Barrymore praised Williams for her “revolutionary” character, pointing out that the young actress grew up playing Arya Stark.

“I think in the beginning we were sort of one and the same, really,” Williams confirmed. “But what started to happen as the series went on is I felt like I was starting to become the woman that I wanted to be and instead of getting into character, it was almost like going back to an old version of myself.”

She continued, “And then I was really trying to peel off and find my own personality and purpose within the world. [She’s] just one of the most important things I’ll ever have in my life. She means so much to people.”

Williams even joked that the fierceness of Arya sometimes “pops out” — especially when she’s getting pushed around at music festivals.

“My friends are like, ‘What are you doing?'” she said, before later adding, “It’s not my fault. Take it up with HBO.” 

The Drew Barrymore Show airs on weekdays on CBS. You can check the website for local airtimes.