Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner reflects on filming some of the series' most traumatic scenes. George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series was adapted into a TV show 15 years after the author published the first book, A Game of Thrones. HBO's Game of Thrones quickly started gaining praise when its first season aired, which was followed by seven more seasons. The series eventually came to a close in 2019, and despite Game of Thrones season 8 being heavily criticized, the franchise still remains a profitable venture for HBO.
Turner played Sansa Stark, daughter of Ned Stark, the Lord of Winterfell and Hand of the King to Robert and Joffery Baratheon. Like most characters in Game of Thrones, Sansa was subject to many horrible experiences during its eight seasons. Sansa's suffering began early in season 1 when her dire wolf Lady was put down. That same season, Joffrey forced Sansa to watch her father get decapitated despite him promising he would show Ned mercy. Joffrey also physically and verbally abused the poor Stark when she was kidnapped by the Lannisters, even forcing her to marry Tyrion. Things only worsened for Sansa as the series progressed, with Sansa being raped and abused by Ramsay Bolton, leading her to contemplate suicide.
In an interview for The Cut, Turner talked with Jessica Chastain about her experiences filming Game of Thrones. When asked if Turner had a ritual for going back to her everyday life after playing a specific character, Turner revealed she didn't but that it helps when she has co-stars willing to step out of their roles with her. She elaborated that, much like her experience in between takes on Dark Phoenix, she would try to have fun between takes on Game of Thrones so she wouldn't be traumatized. When Chastain asked if she thinks the trauma still affects her, Turner confessed she'll probably "exhibit some symptoms of trauma down the road." Turner's full comment from the interview can be read below:
It’s so weird. I don’t, but I kind of find it quite easy to go in and out. You saw on X-Men, in between takes, singing and dancing together. It does help having people around that are also willing to step out of it as well. And it’s just something that growing up on a show like Game of Thrones, the subject matter was so heavy that I just developed a coping mechanism of just having the most fun in between takes, so I wouldn’t get traumatized.
I’m sure I’ll exhibit some symptoms of trauma down the road. At that age, I don’t think I could comprehend a lot of the scene matter. And the first few years, I had my mom with me because she was chaperoning me, so she would be very helpful and give me snacks. I don’t know what it is, but I feel like a 10-year-old in a school play again when someone that I know comes and sees me on set. I feel so embarrassed.
Sansa no doubt experienced a lot of trauma as she grew up, but she did make it to the end of the series and became the Queen in the North. Many others weren't so lucky, with Game of Thrones becoming notorious for suddenly killing off main characters in dramatic ways. One of the show's most famous scenes is the Red Wedding, where the Starks are betrayed by Lord Walder Frey, resulting in the deaths of Robb, Catelyn, and Talisa Stark, as well as Robb's unborn child. Game of Thrones partly became so popular because of how brutal the writing treated its characters, but there's no denying Sansa received her fair share of trauma.
Turner was only 15-years-old when Game of Thrones' first episode aired on HBO, so it's not too surprising that acting in the series left her with some lasting trauma. The cast and crew of the series likely made sure Turner and Maisie Williams, who was also 15 at the time, felt comfortable and safe filming Game of Thrones' graphic scenes. However, there is only so much they could have done, especially when scenes kept getting more disturbing for Sansa in later seasons. Even though some elements of Game of Thrones may have been traumatic for Turner, the actor still seems to appreciate her time on the show and continues to have a successful acting career to this day.
Source: The Cut