Maisie Williams says working with director Danny Boyle gave her “the most freedom that I’ve ever had as an actor”.
The actress said she felt “very stripped of all of the things that I knew about acting on camera” while filming Boyle’s new miniseries Pistol.
Created by Craig Pearce and written by Pearce and Frank Cottrell Boyce, the series is based on Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones’ memoir, Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol.
Williams plays Pamela “Jordan” Rooke, a model credited with having helped create the London punk look and known for her work with fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.
The actress told the PA new agency Boyle was “very generous with his time and energy” and praised his “tactile” approach with his actors.
“I felt very stripped of all of the things that I knew about acting on camera,” she said.
“It was kind of hard to adjust originally but ultimately I ended up finding that working with Danny was the most freedom that I’ve ever had as an actor.
“You never quite knew when the camera was rolling or where the camera was, and that gave it an element of just freedom, I guess.”
Pistol stars Anson Boon, Louis Partridge, Toby Wallace, Christian Lees, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Sydney Chandler, but Williams says Boyle also worked “incredibly” with the supporting members of the cast.
“He would stand on stage and give these incredible speeches so everyone was aligned at the beginning of the day,” she told PA
“(He was) very, very generous with his time and with his energy. He gave you as much as he demanded from you.
“And I think that that’s really special.”
On playing the role of Jordan, Williams said she had been interested to find out the background of her “iconic” character.
“Where does that creativity and that inspiration (come from?) How was that born because she was really unlike anyone else at that time,” she told PA.
“I think we live in a world where being safe is being a conformist, and everyone wants to just fit in and disappear and be invisible.
“Jordan was the complete opposite of that and I have so much admiration, because I think it takes a huge amount of bravery to do that.”
