Maisie Williams Reveals How the ‘Attitude’ of Her ‘Pistol’ Character Is Affecting the Next Chapter of Her Career (Exclusive)

Maisie Williams is taking the spirit of the punk rock revolution into the next chapter of her career after embracing her more alternative side as model and actress Jordan in FX’s Pistol. Ahead of the May 31 premiere of the six-episode limited series about the Sex Pistols and the rock ‘n roll revolution streaming now on Hulu, the Game of Thrones alum and Talulah Riley opened up to PopCulture.com about making iconic rock ‘n roll style icons their own. 

Williams rocked a graphic tank designed to make her look topless during the interview in reference to Jordan’s affinity for pushing societal boundaries with her own style. “I think the thing that I definitely have taken, of course [are] the outfits and the way that I express myself, but it’s more the attitude, I think,” she told PopCulture. “The attitude from where this expression kind of comes from and I guess the confidence.”

“Jordan had such a strong sense of who she was. I think that I’ve really tried to take that with me in the next chapter of my career and tried to center in on that,” Williams noted. “Yeah, if that means like wearing a shirt like this or not, it’s fun to see how that manifests, I guess.” Talulah Riley, who plays iconic fashion designer Vivienne Westwood in Pistol, agreed with Williams’ take on style as a transformation.

“I think it’s interesting to think of a sort of sartorial choice as a political act or a social act and something you are projecting into the world,” the Westworld star explained. “I hadn’t really thought of clothing in that way before – I just thought of it in terms of dressing myself, feeling comfortable, etc. But in a way, you are presenting a canvas to the world and you’re contributing to society in one way or the other. That’s kind of strange to think about.”

Riley even felt inspired to get out her own sewing machine to channel her own “Vivienne-esque” take on style. “I made a skirt, which I still wear out,” she noted. “I’m very proud of [it].” Williams’ transformation had more to do with her physicality as Jordan. “I felt like I did a lot of work on like my posture and the way that I held myself,” she recalled to PopCulture. “Being in the heels, being in the rubber, being zipped and pinched in and your hair lifted, I felt that kind of really brought me into like the aura of Jordan.”

“She was quite a formidable force,” Williams continued. “In social situations, I definitely play more of the passive-like role, so it was I think just having a physical… holding my body in a different way had a huge impact on the way that I could then perform.” FX’s Pistol premieres Tuesday, May 31, exclusively on Hulu.