In an interview with The Cut, Sophie Turner said, “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.” She also added “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.”
Turner added that she later used this same strategy while filming “X-Men,” and even got other actors to participate with her: “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.” In an interview with Rolling Stone, Turner noted that on the set of “Game of Thrones,” she was particularly close with Maisie Williams, who portrays Sansa’s younger sister, Arya Stark. She said that from the moment they met at casting, “We were pretty much best friends from that second on.”
Even with these coping mechanisms, Turner admitted the role was taxing to play. She told The Cut, “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.” Hopefully, as time goes on, people will work together to find ways to continue to lessen the trauma endured by young actors playing in non-child-friendly shows and films.
