Game of Thrones’ Gendry actor admits Arya sex scene left him ‘uncomfortable’ after watching Maisie Williams ‘grow up’

GAME of Thrones star Joe Dempsie has spoken out about his reluctance to film sex scenes with co-star Maisie Williams, who is ten years younger than him.

Fans were left stunned when in the final season of the HBO fantasy epic, Arya Stark propositioned Gendry for sex ahead of the Battle of Winterfell.

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Fearing she could die in the siege to come, Arya explained that she didn't want to die a virgin and wasted no time stripping off and jumping into bed with the stunned lad.

However, Dempsie admitted that when he first found out about the romp, he had mixed feelings, largely because he had seen Maisie grow up on set.

She was just 12 years old when she bagged the role in season 1 and given the cast's close bond, Dempsie admitted the closeness made things "uncomfortable".

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"It was an odd transition purely because I’d seen Maisie grow up - I’d met her when she was a child and, during the course of the first three seasons, it was something I was asked regularly because [the Game of Thrones] books suggest there’s a possible romance," he told .

"It always made me slightly uncomfortable. I know we were recreating fantasy, but we as actors have to make it very much in reality, and they were asking me to comment on whether I – at the time, a 25-year-old man – would like my character to hook up with a 14-year-old," he went on.

"I always avoided answering the questions. But it was something I then had to think about.”

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The scene divided audiences at the time, with some calling it a "coming-of-age moment," while others claimed it left them "squirming".

Dempsie stressed that ultimately, shooting the scene was "absolutely fine" and pointed out that he would've belittled Maisie if he refused to film it.

“When we were doing season eight, Maisie was a grown woman. Also, putting that initial discomfort to the side, I didn’t wanna patronise her," he went on.

"She’s an incredibly capable young woman who commanded the respect of that set, so to play up about doing the scene would have been doing her a massive disservice.”

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When the scene first aired, Maisie's co-star Sophie Turner, who played Sansa Stark, left fans in stitches with a boozey video celebrating the romp.

Maisie recently revealed the character she wished Arya got to kill in the final season.

In other Game of Thrones news, Daenerys Targaryen actress Emilia Clarke recalled warning directors "don't tell me what to do," during clashes on set.

Game of Thrones is available to stream on NOW TV.