“To be able to flesh out a character for over eight or so years has been really amazing.” – Sophie Turner on Playing Sansa Stark
One of the most compelling characters on Game of Thrones is Sansa Stark, played by English actress Sophie Turner. Turner, who also appears as Jean Grey in the recent X-Men films, has grown up with the character and has seen her career take off because of her portrayal of the young royal. Speaking with W, Turner reveals how she was introduced to acting, what she has learned from playing Sansa, and what she hopes to do with her career next.
Turner was introduced to acting at a very young age and fell in love with it. She says, “My mom putting me into a one hour acting group on a Saturday because she wanted some time to herself. She sent me off with all of my friends and we all did this acting class and we all ended up loving it, just completely falling in love. It ended up being kind of like our church. We were so dedicated to it. It was like a haven for me.”
Turner looks at playing Sansa as a rare opportunity to progress within a character over a long period of time. She reveals, “It has been such a blessing. Normally you play a character for a month or so, and then you are done with it, but to be able to flesh out a character for over eight or so years has been really amazing. She’s a project that I really feel is part of me now. Everything that happens to her affects me. I have kind of been living through two people for the past eight years.”
Later, Turner admits she has been surprised as everyone else to see her character’s career path. She explains, “I guess in the beginning, Sansa was quite a damsel in distress. I never saw her storyline going in the direction it has, but now that I’ve got a taste for playing someone that was an underdog and now is really coming into her own being a strong, powerful female character, I’ve really got a taste for it. That’s what I look for now… But you know what, there is no shame in playing someone who needs help.”
In addition to that, Turner sees having a long-term role on Game of Thrones as a chance to be bolder with her other acting choices. She says, “This year my New Year’s resolution was to push myself and not be afraid and to make bold choices in my acting and my project choices.”
