Video: Sophie Turner talks through career highlights and obstacles
While we can’t imagine her anywhere else but in front of a camera, Sophie Turner didn’t always want to follow the well-trodden career path of an actor.
“My dream job as a kid was to work in WHSmiths,” she deadpans in the latest episode of our How I Got Here video series. “But it didn’t quite work out.”
Instead, the 28-year-old was scooped up into showbiz at the tender age of 13 when she landed the role of Sansa Stark in the critically acclaimed Game of Thrones. Having grown up on set, without going to drama school, she credits the widely decorated show for having “set her up for life”.
“It was my life-changing role,” she says. “I learnt everything on the job on Game of Thrones, which is amazing but devastating all at once because everyone essentially got to see me learn how to act, which is not great.”
While she was nominated for an Emmy for her stellar performance as the Queen of the North, it was even during this time that Turner was considering a different line of work. “I really wanted to be a ballerina,” she explains. “There was a moment when I was 15 where it was like: ballet or acting?
“I chose acting because I was already doing it, so I thought, that’s easy!”
Turner’s tone of voice may be glib, but it’s demonstrably clear that she is passionate about her career. Having been enrolled in drama classes at just three years old, the star has gone on to have a successful and varied career long after Game of Thrones wrapped for good in 2019. As well as progressing onto the big screen by joining the hugely popular X-Men film series as Jean Grey, she landed her first-ever leading role in ITV’s widely praised true-crime drama Joan. Starring as the titular diamond thief, Turner’s performance was desribed as “impressive and nuanced” by critics.
However, despite the rave reviews, critical nods and varied roles, Turner doesn’t feel like she’s 'made it' as an actor. “If anyone says they’ve had that moment, they’re a narcissist and you need to steer clear!” she says, laughing. “I don’t think I have made it. But the moment you’re satisfied is the moment your career starts to slowly go downhill, because you need to always be striving for better, and always improving.
When asked if she's ever felt like a failure, she responds: "Every day of my life I feel like there’s a hurdle I didn’t make it over, but I feel like that’s how you grow. That’s how you want to do better the next day and you just get better. If I didn’t feel like a failure on set, I’d be worried. If I came off set thinking, ‘I nailed that’, I’d think later on down the line, ‘It’s going to be rubbish’.”
Turner is undoubtedly being too modest about her abilities, and admits that she feels her confidence has been knocked from being in the public eye. “I started off [my career] very excited, thinking I was going to be amazing,” she says. “Then, the more reviews you read and the more social media followers you get, the more it chips away at your confidence slowly. I think my confidence has diminished throughout my career.” When asked if she has any tips for increasing self-belief she responds with a self-effacing laugh: “If I had any tips for boosting confidence, I’d use them!”
That’s not to say that Turner doesn’t love her work. Having taken a break from her career following the birth of her daughters Willa, in 2020, and Delphine, in 2022, Turner says that the time away from sets made her “fall in love” with acting all over again, and she continues to find performing a hugely rewarding endeavour.
“You play characters that might not necessarily have a voice but have an incredible story that will affect so many people if it’s told,” she says. “You get to be the one that tells it, and give those people a voice.
“We often lift a mirror up to society as actors, and let the viewers at home know that if you’re going through the same thing, you’re not so alone. Or, we can give them an inspiring story about someone’s life that looks very similar to yours. I think it can give people ambition and purpose, reminding them they’re not so alone.”
Having nailed dramatic roles, Turner is now keen to try her hand at more comedic parts – her brief yet unforgettable cameo in Netflix’s 2022 film Do Revenge went viral for her appropriately deranged delivery. However, she believes that taking inspiration from her peers, as well as experiencing life away from cameras, is what will make her a stronger actress.
“Movies motivate me,” she says. “The minute I’ve watched an incredible movie, I know I can go in and audition for something and give a far better audition than I could have done if I had not watched an incredible actor put on an incredible performance. My peers motivate me, just by their sheer talent.
“What I’ve learned is, the more experiences you have in life, the more you bring to a character. As an actor, part of the job is to go out and live a life separate from acting so you can bring so much more into it when you get on set.”
Watch our full interview with Turner, above.
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