Sophie’s interview @ Interview Germany, translated by killingmesoftlywiththesesongs

Infinite thanks to @killingmesoftlywiththesesongs for translating it!

It was a long way, the 19 year old British Sophie Turner had to take: from school to the fight about the Seven Kingdoms. In April the prize-winning fantasy show Game of Thrones will come back, in all their murderous, seductive and fire breathing glory. Again, millions of viewers will turn in to watch this young lady fight against all odds for the honor of House Stark. Hail to the Queen!

Interviewer: “Rytsas“, Sophie!

Sophie: What?

I: That’s “hello“ in High Valyrian.

S: Really? I’m impressed.

I: Real fans of the show learn the fantasy languages Dothraki and High Valyrian, cosplayer slip into the costumes of the characters on world’s biggest comic exhibition Comic-Con. Do you think that’s kind of crazy, too?

S: Oh yes. We visited the Comic-Con. That was kind of weird. Very strange to see yourself there. However, those responsible had to close the stand after a few minutes already because there was such a large crowd. It was crazy, how many people came. That’s probably what you call real commitment. Somehow it’s very impressive: Fantasy is by now a mass phenomenon.

I: That you have to explain.

S: A few years ago it were only nerds that were interested in that kind of stuff. But Game of Thrones isn’t just your typical medieval saga with great costumes, dragons and dwarves. It has so many different story arcs, a lot of sex, a gay story, treason. Maybe a bit too much treason. Anyway, there’s something for everyone.

I: Your minor sister Arya is a expertly swords fighter, the dragon queen Daenerys speaks Dothraki and High Valyrian: Even though Sansa doesn’t have any special talents, she is the secret queen of the viewer’s hearts.

S: Oh, I’m so glad I didn’t have to learn High Valyrian! Especially because I imagine it very hard to project emotions into a fantasy language. But I had to cry a lot instead – maybe that’s why I’m so loved. The viewers pity me. And you are right. I’ve had an easy job. Everything I had to do until the fifth season was crying, sitting around and looking depressed.

I: How do you cry on command?

S: I’m a born crybaby. My mother cries at every small occasion. „Oh the couch is so beautiful!“ and the tears are falling already. I’ve got that from her. When I went out to the Glastonbury Festival with a few friends – I was a bit tipsy I have to confess – there stood a tepee. The sight was so beautiful, I cried instantly. I really cry about every little crap.

I: A lot of actors say they have to think about something sad.

S: No idea. My role is so sad on its own, that it is hard to not cry all the time. It’s really easy for me. I hate it when other actors say that they only have to get into the role and that it comes naturally with that. That always sounds so pretentious. But somehow it still fits. I grew up with a girl, spend all my childhood with her. It’s easy to get into her. The crap she had to go through, was hard on me as it was for her.

I: You had to watch your father being beheaded, you were almost raped multiple times, watched your aunt fall to death. Around you there is murder and fucking: When you started with Game of Thrones you were 14, legally you wouldn’t have been allowed to watch the show.

S: Yes, I wouldn’t have been allowed to watch it at that age. My parents were very strict about this. I wasn’t even allowed to read the books. But when the show came out, I was allowed to watch it. It was the crassest I had ever seen to this point. It was a very awkward situation for the whole family. But especially for me. To see yourself onscreen was very embarrassing.That’s why I always had to watch it on my own, otherwise I couldn’t bear it. And then all the naked breasts that always showed up. That would have been horror to watch that with my parents in the same room. Also horrible about this situation is that I know those people! They’re like siblings for me and then suddenly you see them naked. I didn’t need to see that, but you get used to it. In the future we all should just show our genitals when a new actor comes to set. We really should.

I: Did you had the talk before the show started?

S: Yes, thank God. With 13 I already knew what sex is and all of the anatomical stuff. But I didn’t knew all of the other things, like foreplay or so. That was a really big shock when I saw the show for the first time. You don’t learn most of the things in sex ed.

I: You practically grew up with the show. Did you have your first kiss on set?

S: No, I’ve had my first kiss when I was eleven. That was years ago. But overall it’s very hard for me to have a boyfriend, and I don’t want to blame the show for that. My friends always say I’m so clumsy clot, because I’m always loud and in a good mood. They always tell me there is something that’s not right with me. They don’t understand how someone like me can play a character like that. They think I’m schizophrenic or something like that.

I: It says your colleague Emilia Clarke stipulated by contract for the new season to appear less naked as Daenerys.

S: I don’t know. But now that you say it, I haven’t seen her naked that often the last times. But I really don’t know if that has something to do with her contract. I respect her decisions either way. The poor thing was practically naked all the time throughout season one.

I: Will Sansa appear topless?

S: I don’t know if I’m allowed to say something about it, but for Sansa there is no reason to strip. She has other ways to manipulate men. But if there is need for such a scene I wouldn’t have a problem with it. If it’s just about flashing my boobs for a few more viewers, I wouldn’t do it. Otherwise I’ll do everything the show asks of me.

I: There is a censored version of Game of Thrones out there. PG 13 without sex, bad words…

S: Which is probably all of two minutes long.

I: Not exactly, the graphic violent scenes weren’t cut. How do you handle that brutality?

S: Do you remember when that bisexual guy stepped into the ring against that monster? And his face was smashed with bare hands? I almost vomited when I saw that. But the brutality against Sansa I can just shake off. I’m used to it by now and I don’t have to prepare myself emotionally that much anymore. Also the atmosphere on set is very comfortable. In one minute King Joffrey spits you in the face, the next minute a small, Irish boy, who has nothing in common with that monster, comes to you and apologizes. The crew is the reason that everything is nice and that you can tolerate the violence.

I: How much of Sansa Stark is in Sophie Turner?

S: I wish I would have adapted some of her traits. Sadly we’re not even a bit alike. I admire how strong she is. She has been through all this crap, and at the end she even becomes a better human. I never went through something like that and don’t know how this can affect you. She always keeps the innocent expression. She knows, she doesn’t have the power to fight with a sword like her sister Arya. She keeps an innocent, equanimous expression, even when she’s raging on the inside and wants to murder everyone for what has happened to her family. Three years of captivity and she stays brave – that I admire.

I: How often are you called Sansa when you’re out on the street?

S: Too many times. I think, I’ve been called Sansa more often than Sophie. Don’t get me wrong it’s a beautiful name. Maybe I should rename myself? Maybe not. I’ve already got the feeling that I’ll only be seen as Sansa Stark once the show has ended.

I: Is your new status als star stressful?

S: It’s strange, I don’t see myself as a star. I don’t think I am one. I think it’s because the show didn’t get successful over night and I suddenly went from no one to darling of the public. The success came bit by bit. So I could ease into it from season to season that people recognized me. That sounds funny, doesn’t it? But it’s really that way. It feels completely normal when I get talked to by a complete stranger. In my hometown it doesn’t interest anyone, that I’m this TV show star. For them I’m just some chick.

I: Do you like yourself more now, when you see yourself onscreen?

S: Oh yes. Personally I hate 13 year old girls. I just hate them. I don’t like kids. They’re so naive, it drives me crazy. When I started the show, I was a kid myself. So it does make sense, that Sansa was a little beast. But I don’t think that she was consciously evil. She always thought she was doing the right thing. In this one scene, when she begs King Joffrey not to behead her father – was he even King there? Whatever, anyway, she wants to rescue her father’s life, and Joffrey promises her he would. And she believes, she convinced him and the he kills him anyway. When I watch it now, I think: “My God, you’ve been and idiot, so naive.“ But when I was playing it, I thought: “Well done, good choice, Sansa.“

I: At the end of season four we see a self-confident Sansa with brown hair. Dark hair, dark personality?

S: It just a completely new mentality. She doesn’t switch to the dark side. I was asked a couple of times already: Does Sansa go evil now? Nonsense. Just because she’s got dark hair now doesn’t mean she’s going crazy. It’s got a simple reason: she want to grow out of the heritage of the Stark family. Her mother had red hair like herself and now that almost her whole family was killed, she wanted to invent herself newly, establish her own kingdom. But not only that, her style of clothes reminds of nothing like what was worn in Winterfell, King’s Landing or Highgarden, so every place in which she has been tormented. She made her own style. She’s independent now, stronger.

I: So there will be a new house that will join the game of thrones?

S: Who knows. The production starts in July. Maybe the writers will kill me off? In season five Sansa will reach the dramatic climax of her story. After that there isn’t much left for her. That’s the erratic thing about this show. Even if a character survives in the books, it doesn’t mean it’s the same for us. We always joke around: “Hey I hope we see each other again next time!“ We really don’t know what can or will happen.

I: The show almost caught on to the books by G.R.R.Martin. There are no hints left.

S: Right. That’s a problem. At the end of season four Sansa’s story arc caught on to the arc in the books. Actually there was nothing left to tell about her in season five. They wrote a whole new story for her. I think it’s the plan to shove the show in another direction, away from the books. So there will be no “spoiler alert“, the internet is full of those, and maybe the show will reach a completely different ending.

I: The majority of the viewers are female. Does that surprise you?

S: Really? That is a surprise. I could have sworn, we would mostly have male viewers. With all those naked boobs. And the dream of every little boy is to fight with a sword. But okay, maybe it’s because the show’s got so many strong female characters, like Cersei, Arya, Brienne or Daenerys. In other fantasy shows, with medieval themes, women are shown more typically for this kind of age, without power or effect on society. With our show it’s different. We’ve got super strong heroines, like Daenerys who frees whole cities.

I: Are you a feminist?

S: It would be wrong to say that I’m not a feminist. Emma Watson’s UN speech about equality last September was great! We need more of that. When I hear women say “I’m definitely not a feminist.“ and “I think the man should work and the woman should stay home with the kids.“ I always think: “No, we should all have the same political, social and economic rights.“ People who say they’re not feminists are nuts. For me it’s natural. I’ve learned to think like that at my school.

I: Talk about it.

S: I was at a girls-school. Every school assembly had equality as a theme. That gave us the confidence to become and be strong women. Also that my mother had her own career and didn’t stay home affected me. She taught nurses and provided us financially just like my father. But for Game of Thrones she quit her job. Because I was a minor, I needed a person to watch and care for me. I needed to travel a lot for the production. The inner and outer shootings of Winterfell were in Belfast, King’s Landing in Croatia. I’m glad that I’d never had to play north of the Wall. That was shot in Iceland. The snow would have been too much for me.

I: That means you wouldn’t have auditioned then?

S: Sure, of course, I would’ve. But I didn’t even know for which role I auditioned. They started to cast child actors in every school in the vicinity, because they had trouble to find some. My teacher, who was also teaching the theatre ground I was in, told me about it and asked if I wanted to try it. When I went to the audition I totally went crazy. Just made a fool out of myself, because I thought I wouldn’t get the role anyway. And because I could have said to myself: “No wonder, it didn’t work, you made a mess.“ My teacher was furious and said I could forget this job. A few weeks later I got the call.

I: And every other kid who auditioned from your school probably avoided you.

S: No, no. A lot of girls who auditioned are my friends. They didn’t have serious interest in becoming actresses, they only went there for the money.

I: What was your plan B if it wouldn’t have worked out with Game of Thrones?

S: I always wanted to be an actress and when I got the chance to work at Game of Thrones I already had some castings done. But they didn’t get me anywhere. So I thought to myself: “Whatever, you probably gonna blow that anyway.“ If that wouldn’t have worked I probably would be studying psychology and history right now – and be partying all the time.

I: There will be even less time for that in the future. You will star as Jean in X-Men. Again, a fantasy heroine.

S: Yes, but it’s different fantasy from Sansa. Game of Thrones is medieval and X-Men is science fiction. But I already detected some similarities in the characters, their strength for example. But otherwise they’re very different. Sansa seems very innocent, Jean, on the other hand, gets to hit on it full time. And visually they’re so different. Sansa wears long, heavy dresses, Jean a bodysuit.

I: Jennifer Lawrence and Channing Tatum will star in this movie as well. How does it feel to catch up with A-list Hollywood?

S: First it means I’ll be put on a diet before production begins. I’ve got to get somehow into that bodysuit. That was the first thing they told me at the audition in LA: “We love you, but you have to lose ten kilos.“

I: That’s something you don’t just shrug off as a 19 year old, do you?

S: Whatever. I’m an actress, it comes with the job. I would put on weight for a role – but that would be much easier.

I: Did you choose your diet yet?
S: No, it’s such a nightmare. First I have to work with a personal trainer a few times a week and eat healthy. Not on my 19th birthday, though. I had a good piece of cake and a drink. I just had to have that.