When Sophie Turner joined the cast of this magnanimous HBO series, she was just a 16-year-old teenager and dealing with the commitment that starring in a program of such magnitude as Game of Thrones meant, added to the conflicts that any person of that age in the middle of a set full of people and with criticism on the networks more acute than ever, it was not something easy to overcome, according to the now 26-year-old actress.
Indeed, Turner gave statements in which she confessed that she needed the help of a therapist while she was filming the famous HBO series during the 8 seasons that she played Sansa Stark. In addition to learning lines and scenes, the actress, who was only 16 at the time, had to recover from an eating disorder caused by the pressure of losing weight.
“I still have days where I feel depressed or anxious. Now it’s manageable, I have the tools. I know what is good for me and what is not good for me.”
Being in the center of attention during the recordings of the series in full adolescence represented a great pressure for Turner, who confessed that handling fame was complicated at that age. In fact, in an interview, she said that in 2019 her mental health deteriorated and this exposed her to ruthless criticism on her social networks and she was singled out by viewers, almost always because of her appearance. she.
“My metabolism suddenly decided to drop into the depths of the ocean and I started getting acne and gaining weight, and all of this was happening to me on camera.”
She also stressed that what she read on her social network profiles affected her a lot, the public was very harsh with her and she could be happy when she saw great comments, but she did not give them as much importance as when she saw some negative one, which disconcerted her every time. time. “People used to write, ‘Damn, Sansa gained 10 pounds’ or ‘Sansa needs to lose 10 pounds.’ It was just a lot of comments about weight” and this clearly got into his head as a teenager who took on his leading role with greatness in Game of Thrones.
“She had blotchy skin because she was a teenager and that’s normal, but I used to get a lot of comments about my skin and my weight and how she wasn’t a good actress.”
There came a time when he couldn’t stand the pressure and sought therapy to accompany the filming of the series, adding: “Everyone needs a therapist, especially when people constantly tell you that you’re not good enough and that you don’t look well enough. I think you need to have someone to talk to and help you get through that.” The decision was also criticized, but it was when he decided to eliminate social networks from his life, although he has always said that he has “a love-hate relationship with social networks”, since he had to deal in therapy with the comments that unleashed a body shaming in his past.
“I’ve noticed that social media makes me incredibly anxious and it’s something I try to distance myself from,” she said. “Having them off my phone has been very helpful. Now, if I have to, it’s for a few minutes once or twice a week, instead of hours every day.” “She has made a huge difference,” she said of her decision to scale back on social media. “Live real life, it’s much more fun.”
Having done therapy during the time that she also did the series, she gave her a number of tools that now the Sophie of 10 years later thanks and takes advantage of when situations warrant it. “Once in a while, I go on a retreat to check myself and I still have days where I feel depressed or anxious. Now it’s manageable, I have the tools.” She continued, “I know what is good for me and what is not good for me. I know what I have to do to put myself in a good state of mind.” Likewise, she gave credit to her personal improvement, to the relationship she has with her current husband, singer Joe Jonas, who continues to support her and with whom she also has a daughter.
