‘Game of Thrones’ Star Maisie Williams Honors Diana Rigg With Fierce Throwback Photo

Maisie Williams has joined the growing number of celebrities and fans paying tribute to late actress Diana Rigg. Rigg died Thursday, surrounded by loved ones at her home, at the age of 82 after having been diagnosed with cancer in March.

Williams and Rigg had starred alongside one another in Game of Thrones, the mega-popular HBO series that came to an end in May of 2019, though the two actresses never had any screentime together. Although Williams’ character had made it to the end, Riggs’ Lady Olenna Tyrell, had died in an episode that aired in 2017, her final words being, “Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.” Speaking to Entertainment Weekly shortly after her onscreen counterpart’s death, Rigg revealed that she was grateful with how her character went out.

“I was extremely grateful that I didn’t die on the lavatory or in some rather undignified manner,” she said. “It’s in the nature of this series, isn’t it, that people are dispensed with quite often? The fact that I’d been kept alive for far longer than the original author [George R.R. Martin] had intended seemed to me that I had a pretty good run for my money, and I was perfectly philosophical about being killed off.”

During that same interview, Rigg said that she wasn’t necessarily sad to be stepping away from the role, stating, “I don’t know that I’ll miss her.” Rigg said that she “enjoyed her hugely,” adding that she was “very grateful for the new audience that she’s brought me.”

Olenna Tyrell had been a fan-favorite character, though Rigg had been just as beloved behind the scenes by crew members. As fans flocked to social media to pay their respects, those who had worked with Rigg behind the scenes of the show took to social media with their own tributes, many recalling their fondest memories. In a series of tweets, GoT writer and executive producer reflected on the first time he had seen Rigg act out a seen he had written back in Season 3, writing, “she nailed the line” and dubbing her “a godd– pro.”

Costume designer Michele Clapton, meanwhile, recalled “being in awe of her on our first meeting” in a post shared to Instagram. Clapton wrote that the actress was “everything I expected her to be and more, generous, funny, sharp, smart and dangerous,” adding that “together we created the formidable and amusing Olenna Tyrell.. and it was an honour.”