Why 'Game of Thrones' fan backlash forced Faye Marsay to leave from social media
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Faye Marsay recently revealed that she decided to “take a step back” from social media after receiving intense backlash for her role in the popular HBO series ‘Game of Thrones.’ Marsay only appeared on the fourth and fifth seasons of the show but said that she garnered negative attention for playing Waif, the girl who brutally treated Maisie Williams’ fan-favorite character, Arya Stark, when the latter trained to become one of the Faceless Men.
“After Thrones came out, there was quite intense backlash at one point. Just because of the character I played,” Marsay told The Independent. “[The fans] hated her. Because Maisie’s character was, like, the one — and there I am, hitting her with a stick,” she added. “Social media can be a brutal tool, and we all know it,” Marsay stated. “Look at the mental health crisis that young people are going through right now – that’s not just because of the pandemic, or teenage angst!” she mentioned.
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A look at Faye Marsay’s role in ‘Game of Thrones’
Marsay played the role of The Waif in ‘Game of Thrones’ and first appeared in Season 5 episode titled ‘High Sparrow.’ The Waif served at the House of Black and White in Braavos as an acolyte of the Faceless Men. The character gained notoriety for her cold demeanor and brutal treatment of Arya Stark when the latter arrived at the House of Black and White.
While playing the game of faces, Marsay’s character said she was the daughter of a widowed lord from Westeros before joining the Faceless Men. She said her father remarried another woman and produced a second daughter. The Waif claimed she took the help of the Faceless Men after discovering her jealous stepmother tried to poison her. However, the parts of the truth about her background remain disputed as part of the game of faces is to combine lies with the truth convincingly.
In the fifth season of ‘Game of Thrones,’ the Waif’s character was shown to be beating Arya with her cane after the latter claimed that she is “no one,” a skill the Faceless Men achieve through dedicated training. The Waif continues to express her doubts over Arya’s abilities and chance of success and gloats when the latter mistakenly kills the wrong man. When Arya is blinded in the sixth season of the show as punishment for taking the wrong life, the Waif forces her to fight with two fighting sticks.
The Waif leaves Arya battered and bruised during the fight by receiving the upper hand due to the latter’s blinded state. The Waif beats her for the second time the following day after Arya says she is “no one.” The Waif continues to give Arya harsh fighting lessons when she rejoins the Faceless Men. The duo engages in another fight where the Waif stands against Arya with staff in the temple. She then announces that Lady Stark will never be a part of the Faceless Men.
The Waif is then asked with keeping an eye on Arya, who has been asked to assassinate Lady Crane. After Arya fails in her task, the Waif asks Jaqen to allow her to kill Arya for her failure. The Waif continues to chase Arya through Braavos as the latter escapes. Towards the end of the Waif’s role, Arya lures her into a darkened room that is only lit by a candle. She then uses a sword Needle to chop the candle and uses her experience in fighting without sight to kill the Waif. It is later revealed that Arya ripped off the Waif's face, gouged out her eyes, and added it to the Hall of Faces. Marsay’s role came to an end with the death of the Waif in the Season 6 episode titled 'No One.'
What other notable roles did Faye Marsay play?
Marsay first rose to fame in 2013 after playing the role of Anne Neville in ‘The White Queen.’ She also played the role of Candice Pelling in ‘Fresh Meat,’ Lizzie Lancaster in ‘The Bletchley Circle’ and Katie Springer in ‘My Mad Fat Diary.’ After appearing on ‘Game of Thrones,’ Marsay played the lead role of Blue Colson in the hit ‘Black Mirror’ episode titled ‘Hated in the Nation.’
The actress also starred as Katya Godman in ‘McMafia,’ Joanne Aspinall in ‘Deep Water’ and The One in ‘Avocado Toast,’ among others. More recently, she bagged the role of Vel Sartha in ‘Andor.’ Marsay has also appeared in films like ‘Darkest Hour,’ ‘You, Me and Him,’ ‘A Private Hour,’ and ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover,’ among others. She also acted in various prominent stage plays.
Where is Faye Marsay now?
Although Marsay took a “step back” from the public eye after her ‘Game of Thrones’ experience and continues to keep her social media activity minimal, she bagged some commendable career opportunities. The actress played the role of Hilda in the 2022 romantic drama ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover.’ She is also receiving positive feedback for her recent performance in the ‘Star Wars’ anthology series ‘Andor,’ a prequel to the ‘Rogue One’ film. She is also back on the screen this weekend as a northerner in the new BBC One drama ‘Ten Pound Poms.’