Sophie Turner, thanks for talking to us.
Thanks for having me.
What do you think of Game of Thrones?
I love it, I’m a huge fan. The acting is great and the characters are so well written.
What do you think of your character Sansa Stark?
I love her; she’s really interesting because she’s changed so much over the seasons. You start off with this innocent little girl and then by the end she’s a strong, powerful woman. I just hope I get to play her for many more seasons to come!
You must be excited about Game of Thrones season 8!
Yeah, I can’t wait, it’s going to be so good! We’ve been filming for months already and we still have another year to go before it airs next year. But everyone is working really hard and I’m sure it will be worth the wait.
Sansa Stark actor Sophie Turner, who was just named a face of Christian Dior Makeup, tells Elle.com about her Game of Thrones audition at age 13, her favorite on-set moment with Maisie Williams, and what she wants to steal from set.
The first time I auditioned for Sansa, I was 13 years old. I read the scene in the pilot where Jon Snow walks into the courtyard to say goodbye to Bran, and Sansa’s standing there with their mother [Catelyn Stark], and she’s kind of like rolling her eyes and being a snotty teenager. I don’t think they were looking for someone quite so young for Sansa. But when I went in for my second audition, I read a different scene where she’s saying goodbye to Ned [Sansa’s father] before he goes off to King’s Landing, when she says: “I’ll wear my prettiest dress.”
When I did that scene, it made me cry because it was really emotional. And then I got a call back from all the producers and the casting director and David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss], and they were all there. When they called me back, they told me that David had been
Sophie Turner is usually in the news for playing Sansa Stark, the star of Game of Thrones. But this weekend she took on an entirely different role: bride.
Turner and her fiancé Joe Jonas held a lavish ceremony in France where they were surrounded by friends and family. The couple even managed to keep their wedding secret, shocking most fans and members of the press.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar before the wedding, Turner shared some details about her relationship with the DNCE frontman. “I found it easier to date someone who understands the industry or is in that world,” she said referring to Jonas’ musical background. “You realize that you’re not going to see each other all the time. And you don’t feel like a jerk when you’re like, ‘My publicist says I can’t do this…’ There are times we’ve had to stay apart for three months for work.”
The 23-year-old actress also talked about her upbringing and how she felt being a child actor. “I was really young, but I knew that I wanted to get into acting,” she recalled. “I had always been really loud and really over the top as a child, so my parents were convinced that I was going to be
Sophie Turner is the star of Game of Thrones. This is not to be confused with Game of Thrones being her show, but rather it’s an acknowledgement that she’s emerged from a six-season ensemble as one of the most recognizable actors in their cast. Some stars have been able to carry multiple seasons by themselves (Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey), but Sophie is different. Her performance as the traumatized Sansa Stark has become a conduit for all the rage, pain, and sadness that people feel about the mysteries and injustices of Westeros. In short, she’s become one of the most popular characters on TV.
In an interview with me at SXSW, Sophie talked about how Sansa has changed since season one, her experience watching herself on screen during season four, and what it’s like to be a part of a show where she doesn’t know what will happen next until she reads the script.
Sansa Stark is a survivor, and Sophie Turner is too. For the past eight years, the actress has lived in the public eye, thrown into a worldwide phenomenon at just 14 years old. She’s weathered that transition with grace and determination, but it hasn’t been easy.
Below, Turner opens up about what Game of Thrones means to her (“I’m so proud of this show”), how she took control of her career (“I didn’t want to be put in a box”), and how she’s grown up on screen (and off) thanks to Sansa. The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Read more: How Maisie Williams Went From Arya Stark to Indie Darling
Vanity Fair: You’ve been playing Sansa since you were 14. What does Game of Thrones mean to you?
Sophie Turner: I’m so proud of this show—I don’t think I could have played any other character and loved them as much as I love Sansa. When I was 14, my parents were like, “You have no friends; you’re an outcast; you’re never going to amount to anything.” And now I’m the star of one of the biggest shows ever.
VF: Did you
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Sansa Stark, the eldest daughter of Ned and Catelyn on Game of Thrones, is not “sexy.” She’s a young girl in a world where being young and female means one thing: marriage. While she has spent most of her days dreaming about the day when a prince would come and sweep her off her feet, the past several seasons have been filled with heartbreak for her. But just because she’s sad doesn’t mean she can’t be sexy.
Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa on Game of Thrones, says that even though her character is still mourning the loss of her father, she’s starting to come into her own. “She’s becoming more aware of herself as a woman but also more aware of what power she has,” Turner says. “She’s realizing that sex is a weapon and she can use it to get what she wants.”
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Turner talks about how Sansa has grown over the past few seasons and how playing a strong female character has influenced her both onscreen and off.
After more than a decade of playing Sansa Stark on Game of Thrones, Sophie Turner is ready to move on. When the show returns for its eighth and final season April 14, the 23-year-old actress will have to say goodbye to the role that made her famous and ushered her into adult life.
But instead of mourning the end, Turner is looking forward to new opportunities. Her latest role, as Jean Grey in Dark Phoenix, marks the beginning of a whole new chapter. “I just want to keep pushing myself,” she says. “I’m not done saying ‘yes’ yet.”
Turner recently sat down with EW in New York City to talk about that other epic fantasy series in her life — GoT — and what’s next for her character. Read on below for our interview with Turner, which has been edited and condensed for clarity.
