Though her character eventually had a moment of feminine power and autonomy on Game of Thrones, Williams still struggled off-camera with her self-esteem and mental health.
During an appearance on English TV presenter and radio personality Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast, the Thrones actress admitted that it was challenging to be in the international spotlight while also trying to figure out life as a teenager. She also shared that she found fans' and critics' responses to Game of Thrones published on social media entirely overwhelming — particularly negative reactions, which impacted her mental state in a considerable way. Williams confessed that she still struggles, even after Thrones' conclusion, with criticism and feeling good about herself.
"It gets to a point where you're almost craving something negative, so you can just sit in a hole of sadness," she said. "I still lie in bed at, like, 11 o'clock at night telling myself all the things I hate about myself. It's just really terrifying that you're ever going to slip back into it. That's still something that I'm really working on, because I think that's really hard. It's really hard to feel sad and not feel completely defeated by it."
Williams then said she's taking strides to build up her confidence once more, and wants more than anything to have "a normal life." As she shared on the podcast, "I don't want any of this crazy, crazy world because it's not worth it [...] It sounds really hippy-dippy and like look within you to find peace, but it is true. It the end of your day, you're making yourself feel this way for a reason."
