Arya Stark actress Maisie Williams seemed to reveal a huge Game of Thrones spoiler while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, but it was all just an April Fools prank. After debuting on HBO in 2011 and going on to become a massive pop culture phenomenon, Game of Thrones is finally set to come to an end with season 8, which begins airing later in April.
The fates of all the show’s major characters hang in the balance as season 8 begins, with the White Walkers having breached The Wall, leaving Westeros wide open to the undead horde and their mysterious leader The Night King. As for Maisie Williams’ Arya Stark, she is back in Winterfell again with her sister Sansa (Sophie Turner), and season 8 will see her also reuniting with her brother Jon Snow (Kit Harington). Of course, Arya still has a few names left on her kill list, the biggest among them being Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), who will herself no doubt figure heavily in the action as Game of Thrones heads for its epic conclusion.
With HBO seeking to keep any and all spoilers off the internet, Game of Thrones cast members have to be extra careful about everything they utter as they go about their promotional rounds ahead of season 8. That’s why everyone was so shocked when Williams seemed to violate her sacred vow of silence during her appearance Monday night on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, when Fallon got her to reveal that Arya dies in episode two of the final season - a shocking revelation to be sure. See the clip below:
After Williams lets loose with her massive spoiler, the entire audience falls into stunned silence, and Williams herself seems stricken and actually begs Fallon to cut out her gaffe. Williams is so upset in fact that she has to get up and leave the set, causing Fallon to go after her in concern about her well-being. But of course, that’s the moment when Williams and Fallon reveal that her spoiler was in fact just an April Fools prank. The audience seems relieved to find out that Williams was only acting - and doing a very good job of it (good enough to seemingly fool an entire TV audience on April Fools Day, a day when everyone should be looking out for pranks, especially if they’re in the audience of a talk show).
So after Williams’ non-spoiler, Game of Thrones fans can now rest assured that Arya Stark probably doesn’t actually die in episode 2 of season 8. Arya’s true fate is bound to be fascinating one way or another, and more than likely tragic given the character’s arc, which has arguably been the most gut-wrenching on the entire show.
More: 10 Facts About The Starks Game Of Thrones Leaves Out
Source: The Tonight Show
