‘Game of Thrones’ Star Maisie Williams Reveals Season 8 Spoiler in Tearful April Fool’s Day Joke

The final season premiere of Game of Thrones is almost here, and fans are eager to find out the fate of their favorite characters when the HBO drama returns. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, April 1, series star Maisie Williams seemed to offer a major spoiler in regards to her character, Arya Stark, pulling off an epic April Fools’ Day prank in the process.

After Fallon begged the actress for a tiny hint as to what Season 8 might bring, Williams obliged, saying, “During shooting, like, the final days were really, like, emotional, saying goodbye to all of the cast. Because when I found out that Arya died in, like, the second episode.”

At that, she covered her mouth in horror upon realizing what she’d revealed, turning to the audience and back to Fallon before asking the host, “Is this live?”

With tears in her eyes, Williams asked Fallon whether her comment could be edited out and if the audience could refrain from tweeting about what she’d said. She then apologized and rushed offstage before Fallon went backstage to check on her, pulling back a curtain as a smiling Williams bounded out, with the pair proclaiming, “April Fool’s!”

“You were good. You were so good. Oh my God,” the host gushed to Williams, telling the audience, “We got you guys so bad.”

Ahead of Williams’ pre-planned slip-up, the two had been discussing Arya’s arc throughout the series, with the 21-year-old reflecting on her character’s biggest moments.

“In terms of things that have really defined her, I think number one would be Ned’s (Sean Bean) beheading in season one. That was what spiraled her whole arc,” she said. “And then she was with The Hound (Rory McCann) for a long time. I think there was a line in maybe season three where she was like, ‘One day I’m going to stick a knife through your eye and out the back of your skull.’ That was, like, a pretty defining moment where you realized how messed up in the head she’d become.”

“And in season five I think she threw away her original costume — and I was in that costume for four years or something — so she threw that into the water and it was a really emotional moment,” she continued. “I guess last season she reunited with Sansa (Sophie Turner) again, so that was a pretty big moment. And then they both united and killed Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen).”

Game of Thrones returns to HBO on April 14.

Photo Credit: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon