Game of Thrones has made stars out of many of its young cast members, but perhaps none more charming than Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner, who connected immediately on set and kept up a very public friendship over the next several years. The two recently spoke to Glamour about their Game of Thrones journeys, their lives as young actors in Hollywood, and even a smidge about season 8.
âPeople always think Maisie and I are a couple,â Turner said. âI mean, I am obsessed with her, so you never know. Sheâs my drug. Iâve got an addiction to Maisie Williams. I actually stalk her hashtag on Instagram!â
Thereâs a reason the fan community has dubbed these two âMophieâ: their giddy camaraderie is infectious, but itâs been tempered by some dark times. Remember, Turner and Williams met on Game of Thrones when they were 13 and 12 respectively, and thereafter grew up in the public eye. Thatâs hard on anyone, but especially on teenagers still figuring out who they are. Both of them struggled, but they had each other. âI canât tell you the amount of times Sophie said, âGo to therapy,â before I actually did,â Williams remembered. âShe really helped me through some messy break-ups and some friend break-ups. Whenever Iâm like, âI need help! This is bigger than anything I can sort out on my own,â Sophie is my point of call. I think therapy is so important. You should absolutely speak to someone, even if in your head you go, âYeah, I knew that!ââ
Turner agrees. âWeâve helped each other through a lot of mental-health problems, especially around body image. Sheâs been my crutch in that, and Iâve been hers because it seems everything she goes through, I go through. You know when girls are together a long time, their periods sync up? Itâs like our emotions and personalities sync up, too.â
Body image is something both actors have grappled with, which unfortunately isnât a surprise. Itâs no secret that Hollywood puts a lot of pressure on performers to present a certain kind of way. âIâve never felt very pretty because Iâve never been portrayed as very pretty on screen,â Williams says. âI actually think thatâs really great, but in terms of how I personally feel, itâs been difficult sometimes.â
Iâve met incredible women who all look very different. They all had really positive messages for us. But I donât know that you can ever really get away from the intense pressure of body image when youâre an actor. It was something I never cared about. I never thought I was fat until I became an actor â and Iâm not fat! I donât know any young woman that Iâve spoken to in this industry who hasnât struggled one way or another with their appearance. I just think itâs very hard to escape. Especially when you get down to the final three for a role. You can all be really talented, but ultimately it comes down to the way you look. Itâs hard not to obsess over that. I try to nip it in the bud because itâs self-destructive.
Turner has been plagued by these same kinds of questions. But again, meeting people who set their own standards helps. âWhen I first started out acting, I thought, âArghhh, Iâm going to have to be really skinny for the rest of my life,â and Iâm not naturally that kind of person,â she said. âBut when it came to filming X-Men [Apocalypse in 2016], I saw Jennifer Lawrence, who is small, but curvy and not your typical âskinny starâ. It made me feel so good that people see these women as powerful superheroes, and they donât have to be stick thin â thatâs how it should be. Thatâs how women should be depicted in every film.â
Then, on the set of the upcoming Dark Phoenix, Turner got some great advice from another costar. âI actually have a really big problem with not being able to stand up for myself, especially if Iâm arguing against a man,â she said. âJessica Chastain is the one that said it to me, âYou need to stand up for yourself more!ââ Apparently there was an incident on the set of Dark Phoenix where an actor âwalked off setâ when it was time for Turner to say her lines. A writer stood in for him, which had to feel pretty belittling. â[Jessica] said, âJust go and talk to him, go and say something to him!â Iâm a bit of a shy, pushover person, but Iâm getting there, Iâm working on it.â
Taking cues from figures like this, both Turner and Williams are interested in paying it forward and avoiding the culture of competition that can pervade Hollywood. âFor a long time in my career, I didnât really meet anyone who was mean or acted like a diva, but then I did,â Williams said. âThereâs a real lack of respect when people are bitchy on set. It felt like I was back at school. Itâs like, âWeâve all been given this amazing opportunity and now youâre making it unpleasant for me.ââ Turner is determined not to be that person:
Sometimes I think, âOh God, weâre probably all going up for the same roles. Weâre all the same age, [are we] just going to be catty towards each other?â But all the women Iâve worked with have been very supportive â and vice versa. I want them to do well because women should be all in it together. I go for a lot of roles that people like Zoey Deutch go for, or ChloĂ« Moretz, but theyâre my friends â I really want them to get those roles, and half the time theyâre better at the roles than me anyway, so Iâm fine with it. Iâm glad I didnât embarrass myself!
So all of this is pretty heavy, but beyond providing each other with a support system, Turner and Williams just have a lot of fun together, on set and off. âEven though we [play] sisters [on Game of Thrones], we tried to sneak a kiss into every scene we did together to freak everyone out a bit,â Turner remembered. âIt kept them on their toes; making sure they were following the script.â Freak out the norms!
It got to the point where Williams isnât sure theyâll be cast on the same project for a while. âEveryone on set is sick and tired of us being so loud and laughing so much!â said said. âI donât know if weâll work together again. I donât know if people would cast us in something together because we are so known for these two characters. Game Of Thrones will be some of the funniest days of my life.â
As for whatâs coming in season 8, Turner and Williams said nothing, because they are good soldiers. âIâve just told [fiancĂ©e] Joe [Jonas],â Turner confessed. âBut heâs so mad at me â he loves the show! Well, I have to tell someone, otherwise Iâll burst.â
Fair enough. If only it could be usâŠ
To read even more about Turner and Williams, head over to Glamour!
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