Pals turn punk
GAME OF THRONES STARS SWAP SWORDS FOR AN ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT ATTITUDE IN THE STORY OF THE SEX PISTOLS
It’s a long way from the wilds of Westeros to the mean London streets of the fledgling punk movement, but Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams had a familiar face to share the journey on Pistol.
Williams, best known as the noble-born child assassin Arya Stark on the hit HBO fantasydrama, appears alongside Thomas Brodie-Sangster – who played the psychically gifted Jojen Reed – in Danny Boyle’s new-six part biographical drama that traces the rise and fall of seminal UK punk act the Sex Pistols.
And though their two characters never crossed paths in GoT – Reed died in season four and Night King-slaying Arya made it right to the end – the pair had a common scene partner in Isaac Hempstead-Wright’s Bran Stark, and Williams still has fond teenage memories of dragging them both along to her favourite restaurant, Pizza Express.
Filming Pistol, however, was a very different proposition – instead of the huge set pieces and fantastical beasts of the epic fantasy, Williams and BrodieSangster were tasked with doing justice to real people whose lives and parts in the Sex Pistols story had been well documented.
Brodie-Sangster plays impresario-designer-musician Malcolm McLaren, who helped transform the Sex Pistols into a genuine musical and cultural force, and Williams plays Pamela Rooke – aka Jordan – who worked in
McLaren and his partner Vivienne Westwood’s famous boutique Sex and went on to become a model, actress, band manager and is credited with helping to establish the famous London punk look.
Williams was fortunate in as far as Jordan acted as a consultant on Pistol, which is adapted from guitarist and founding Sex Pistols member Steve Jones’ autobiography, Lonely Boy. Although Jordan died from cancer last month at the age of 66, before she was able to see the final product, Williams says her input
was invaluable in sorting the fact from the fiction and making sure the look and feel of the fashion and aesthetic was authentic.
“I spent a lot of time with her and I was able to text with her and call her at any given moment, whether it be questions about my hair, makeup, costume or even just about key events within this story and what she was doing and where she was,” Williams says.
“It was wonderful to have someone who could look back on this time period and reflect on it in such a healthy way and she was a huge help to all of us.”
Williams, who has admitted to struggling with growing up in the public eye due to the sudden fame thrust upon her when GoT became one of the most successful TV shows ever, also says that Jordan’s enduring independent spirit and attitude left a lasting impact on her.
“It’s really rare to be in the presence of someone who’s so confident and sure of themselves,” she says. “I think that we project a lot, especially in this modern world. When you get to be with someone who doesn’t do any of that, it really takes you back within yourself and it’s very grounding. I really enjoyed spending time with her and I’ve tried to incorporate that into my life.”
Brodie-Sangster’s task was arguably more difficult. Not only did the mercurial McLaren die in 2010, but he’s also regarded as one of the most controversial,
complicated and polarising figures in the history of pop culture. His integral role in shaping the fledging Sex Pistols from a rag-tag group of bickering individuals – some of whom couldn’t even play their instruments – into a band that scandalised a nation and inspired a movement is undeniable. But he’s also often been cast as the villain in the Sex Pistols story. Singer and lyricist Johnny Rotten, who has distanced himself from Pistol, once called McLaren “the most evil man in the world” and he has also been accused of ripping off the band, causing its demise and even failing to prevent the death of bass player Sid Vicious. Brodie-Sangster says he didn’t want to portray McLaren as a villain or someone who acted out of malice or spite,
but rather as a “maverick” who embraced chaos, and was prepared to go to extreme lengths (including kicking out members of the band) in pursuit of his goals.
“He dares to go places no one else would dream of going,” says Brodie-Sangster. “He likes to be inspired by strange things, and then mash them up with this other strange thing and hope that it works. In that way, he’s a bit of a mad artist. And a lot of the times it didn’t work, but one of the rare occasions that it really did resulted in the band the Sex Pistols. And I think anything that gets in the way of him reaching that goal that he sets out to achieve, has to just be pushed aside.”