Maisie Williams has wowed fans of hit HBO series Game Of Thrones everywhere in her role as feisty young warrior Arya Stark, but she had to make sacrifices to get where she is today.
Namely, school.
The Mail On Sunday have reported that Maisie quit school at the age of 14 to pursue her fledgling acting career, revealing she has no GCSEs - not because she failed them, but because she didn't sit them at all. And I believe that, for some children, this IS the right course of action.
The demands of her Game Of Thrones filming schedule meant that Maisie - who was predicted As and Bs at school - would not have been able to attend school, as the series is filmed in Morocco, Malta, Croatia and many other far-flung locations.
Together, the school and Maisie’s mother decided that she should leave and be schooled by tutors.
But, while many parents might slam the controversial decision, mother Hilary is still confident that she and Maisie have made the right decision for the talented young actress.
She explained: "I’m a great believer in opportunities. Maisie was given a lot of opportunities that we didn’t feel we could turn down to concentrate on education.
"It wasn’t a snap decision. It came after a series of events that made us think: Are we really going to say, “No, Maisie, you need to be in school doing your exams” when somebody is offering the chance to travel the world and act in all these wonderful things?
The 55-year-old added: "If she needs to go back and do GCSEs she can, and will also have the money to get tutors to help her to do it.
"You can always go back and get your education and these opportunities aren’t going to be there for ever."
Maisie, too, seems entirely happy with the decision.
She took on the role of Arya, a major Game Of Thrones character, when she was just 12-years-old and has made lifelong friends with her co-stars… in particular Sophie Turner, who plays Arya's sister, Sansa Stark.
And last summer, when her peers were receiving their exam results, Maisie wrote on Twitter: "For the few of you who were disappointed by your grades and didn’t get what you were hoping for, I would just like to say that I have no qualifications to my name and won’t have for a while.
"There is more than one route into your dream job and if you didn’t make it into sixth form it isn’t the end of the world."
Maisie has been keeping up with her studies with a little help from an on-set tutor and, while she may not have any GCSE qualifications yet, there's no denying that the teen will definitely have the money and time to pursue them when her role in the series concludes - if she so wishes.
While many might criticise Maisie's mother for allowing her to quit school, I for one agree that it was the right choice for the actress. Not only has she been offered the opportunity of a lifetime, but she has been given the chance to pursue the career of her dreams and prove herself to be a seriously talented actress in a VERY popular show.
Just thirty years ago, the world was a very different place. People were only encouraged to go to college and university if it was truly the correct course for them. Otherwise, they would pursue their careers; they would go straight into the job market, undertake apprenticeships, head to secretarial colleges and, quite simply, ensure they selected the correct oath for them.
Nowadays so much emphasis is placed on attending university that many young people feel pressured to gain a degree qualification, despite the fact that so many graduates are finding it difficult to find paying - let alone high-paying - jobs upon leaving university.
However that's not to say that children should strike out for fame and fortune and TV stardom without a back-up plan.
Maisie was awarded the role of Arya Stark when she was 12-years-old and did not quit school until she was 14 - two years later. She did this with the support of her school and parents, knowing that she would be allowed a private tutor and the ability to keep up with her studies… "just in case".
You should encourage your children to follow their dreams - along with a pinch of salt. They need to sit down and work out the best course of action for them - but they need to remember not to put all of their eggs into one basket.
Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, famously kept up her schooling while she was filming the hit movies.
In fact former Harry Potter exec David Heyman told The Hollywood Reporter that Emma Watson almost hung up her wizarding robes because (in a very Hermione move) she wanted to focus on her schoolwork.
"Emma [Watson], in particular, was quite academic and was very keen in pursuit of schooling and was wrestling a little bit more than the others. So each time there was a negotiation, it was not about a financial [matter], it really was about, 'Do I want to be a part of this?'"
Despite the "tipping point", when the producers admitted they had to "be sensitive to her needs and how important school was to her", Emma Watson happily decided to stay on for the whole franchise - but also got a good education, later attending Brown University.
And while she had to take a two-year gap during her degree to focus on promotional duties for the films, she told Rookie magazine that she enjoyed the freedom of studying on set:
"Really, I've kind of been in charge of my own education since I started out on Potter when I was nine or ten."
Justin Bieber, similarly, also kept up his studies while working on his music career - although he now admits that he only did it at the request of his mother Pattie Mallette.
He said: "School was something my mom really wanted me to do, so I had to do it for her.
"I mean, this kind of lifestyle has given me a different perspective on life. I've been able to travel the world. At school, usually you have to do a lot of writing and reading. I'm really not into that stuff. I like to be out there!"
Plenty of celebrities, however, were able to quit school entirely and go on to amazing careers; from billionaire Richard Branson (who quit school aged 16 to start a youth culture magazine) to Johnny Depp, who quit aged 15, there are plenty of people out there who have managed to pursue their dreams AND catch them.
But it's all about dedication. It's not about hoping for an opportunity to drop into your lap and it's certainly not about wanting fame for fame's sake alone. The people who've truly managed to become respectable celebrities are those who did it because they loved what they did - who believed in their dreams and wanted to do something because they loved it, not for the money.
If your child has a talent and a dream, then by all means help them pursue it - a degree isn't the only way to become a success in life. But just make sure that they're doing it for the right reasons and, like Maisie, Emma and Justin's mothers, convince them to have a backup plan, just in case.
What do you think? Would you let your child drop out of school to follow their dreams? Or would you insist they finish their exams first? Let us know in the Comments Box below now.