Maisie Williams to play concentration camp survivor in new Apple TV+ show

Maisie Williams will transform into Christian Dior’s sister, Catherine for a new Apple TV+ series titled The New Look. The upcoming show will tell the story of how Dior, Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain and Cristóbal Balenciaga navigated the horrors of World War II and launched major fashion houses that rule even today.

Dior among the ranks of others who built fashion houses that have lasted decades, joined the Resistance, risking her life every day to be a part of a covert network titled F2 that gathered intelligence for the Allies during the war. She was arrested by the Nazis in July 1944 and imprisoned at Ravensbrück concentration camp where she was tortured by the Gestapo.

Maisie Williams transformsinto Catherine Dior

Maisie Williams is best known for playing a pivotal role in Game of Thrones. She played Aarya Stark, who ended up being one of the most important characters as it was she who killed the Night King. In order to play Catherine in the show, Maisie lost 25 pounds through a regimen, carefully overseen by medical professionals, that included regular blood tests and heart rate measurements.

While talking about her role and what it demanded from her, she said most of the weight that she lost was from sweating out fluid before filming. She also ate very little and meditated regularly. She said, “I had to be up at 4 amto start sweating. The night before, at about 7 or 8 p.m. I was allowed to have something salty and dehydrating — some smoked salmon and a tiny glass of wine. Then I had a boiling-hot bath with lots of salts in it. And I sort of levitated to bed and slept for maybe three hours and woke up and had a handful of nuts. I wouldn’t be able to sleep through the night at this point.”

The Game of Thrones actress revealed she walked the treadmill while watching the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics because she struggled to understand Catherine Dior’s patriotism that led her to risk her life the way that she did.

What to expect from The New Look

Maisie Williams was cast in the role of Catherine Dior in February 2022. She spent the whole year in Pariswhere the show was filmed.

We will get to see Maisie do a lot of physically challenging scenes – interrogation in Paris, her journey in sealed cattle trucks to Germany after being arrested and what she endured at the concentration camp. “It was very relentless. The process of doing take after take, it really breaks down your character in a way. It’s not for everyone, but for me, I like to get lost in a role and keep on pushing until we complete a scene,” she said.

The New Look premieres on AppleTV+ on February 14.