The Actor Who Played The Waif In "Game Of Thrones" Revealed That She Had To Leave Social Media

    It sounds like playing a character on a massive TV show is, yet again, far from all it's cracked up to be.

    Spoilers follow for Game of Thrones.

    If you're a Game of Thrones superfan, you probably remember the Waif.

    The Waif

    As an antagonist of Arya Stark in the show's fifth and sixth seasons, the Waif was far from a beloved character in a show filled with fan favorites.

    The Waif mid-chase holding a blade

    And it sounds as if actor Faye Marsay, who portrayed the character and also recently starred in Andor, received a lot of blowback from fans, too.

    Faye in a sleeveless V-neck top and pants

    In an interview with the Independent, Faye revealed that the backlash was intense enough that she had to leave social media.

    Close-up of Faye

    "After Thrones came out, there was quite intense backlash at one point," she recalled, "just because of the character I played."

    Close-up of Faye in a sleeveless V-neck top

    According to Faye, Game of Thrones fans "hated" her character "Because [costar Maisie Williams's] character was, like, the one — and there I am, hitting her with a stick."

    Maisie in a frilly-front blouse

    All of the heat resulted in her decision to "take a step back" from social media. "Social media can be a brutal tool, and we all know it," she said. "Look at the mental health crisis that young people are going through right now — that's not just because of the pandemic, or teenage angst!"

    Close-up of Faye

    I mean, she's got a point. Also, if you don't like a character on a TV show, for the love of all things holy, leave the actor who plays them alone! You all know that TV isn't real, right...?

    Read the entire interview here.