Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones talks season seven.
Game of Thrones has rewritten the rules of television by championing unknowns, such as Sophie Turner, and regaling them as acting royalty, says Des Sampson.
by Des Sampson
Most actors spend years juggling jobs and struggling to make ends meet before they glimpse a glimmer of success. Unless you're Sophie Turner, that is. She was 13 and still at school when she bagged one of the biggest roles in television, portraying Sansa Stark in the HBO fantasy series, Game of Thrones - her first professional acting job. As breakthroughs go, you couldn't wish for anything bigger.
"It was an incredible opportunity, I was so lucky," she says, shaking her head in disbelief. "But you have to remember, I started acting at 3 and, even though it was just a hobby for the first few years, I always knew - from about the age of 9 - that I was going to be an actress.
"Whether I was going to be a successful actress or not, I wasn't sure. But I was very driven and passionate about acting and film, so I knew it was my destiny," she says. "I remember saying to my mum, when I was 10 or 11, 'I need to break into the industry early because it's much more difficult as an adult, with so many people competing with you...' So that's exactly what I did!"
Despite her bravado, Turner admits she found her Game of Thrones experience overwhelming, especially at the outset.
"When I auditioned, it was very intimidating being 13 and stepping into a world that was filled with actors such as Sean Bean, Lena Headey and Peter Dinklage. I really didn't know what to do with myself. I wasn't sure if I should project my voice, like on stage, or not. I was so naive. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into or how successful Game of Thrones was going to be - none of us did. But I did realise, straight away, that it was a very serious role and a great opportunity.
"I think that's why [me portraying] Sansa worked so well; we kind of paralleled each other because she was thrown into a world - a very adult world - where she had to adapt very quickly, just like I did," she says. "I found comfort in that and we kind of leant on each other."
Six years later and with the seventh - and final - season looming, Turner's now a pro, with all the accoutrements of her new-found superstar status, including fame, acclaim and a Hollywood boyfriend, Joe Jonas - from the boy band Jonas Brothers.
Despite her glamorous, celebrity lifestyle, Turner admits she still gets star-struck, particularly when superstars, such as Ed Sheeran, unexpectedly turn up on set.
"We've had loads of people come in and do cameos, like Sigur Ros, the drummer from Coldplay or Gary [Lightbody] from Snow Patrol. It's fun when it happens," she says. "Sadly, I didn't get a chance to meet Ed Sheeran because they kept it secret from everybody; I only found out a couple of months later!"
Fans are counting down to the return of Game of Thrones and Jon Snow in season seven.
It's just one of many surprises being kept under wraps for the final series of Game of Thrones. So, what else can we expect: more celebrity cameos, more plot twists and turns, intrigue, indiscretions, mischief and mayhem?
"Everyone keeps asking me that and the truth is I don't know. I really have no idea what's coming next because no one tells us anything, they keep it secret," she says. "But rightly so, because I'm a blabbermouth and I'd probably spoil it all and spill the beans if I knew."
The Hound is set to return in season seven.
"If I was writing my part though, I think I'd like a good death scene for me. That would be fun," Turner adds, laughing mischievously. "In an ideal world, I'd like for her to kill her enemies, be reunited with her family and then die in the hands of someone she loves. I think that would be a fitting finale - a beautiful, romantic tragedy, like Romeo and Juliet. But that's probably not going to happen, is it?
"For the show, I'd love to see Cersei [Lannister, played by Lena Headey] end up on the throne because her character is so great to watch. She's so sadistic and deliciously evil," Turner enthuses. "It would also be nice for the Stark kids to reunite. But that's probably too happy an ending for Game of Thrones.
"Actually, maybe the greatest twist of all would be for it to have a happy ending, because we're all so prepared for a morbid one. Now that would be unexpected - people wouldn't see that coming. But who knows? There are so many characters, so there's no way you can pinpoint what's going to happen or who might end up on the throne."
It's obvious that when Turner talks about Game of Thrones her passion and pride are tinged with a bittersweet undercurrent at the realisation of its impending demise.
"It's so sad, it will be difficult to adjust to life without it," she says. "It's my safety net, so part of me is terrified of not having Game of Thrones, not having a job in the summer and not being with my [on-screen] family that I've grown up with, for the past eight years. It's been a blast, and I'm going to miss it - and them. It's terrifying to think I'm not going to have this again and I do worry that it's the last thing I'm ever going to do."
She needn't worry too much, especially as next year she's rejoining one of the biggest film franchises of all time, as Jean Grey, in X-Men: Supernova.
Emilia Clarke will return as Daenerys Targaryen.
"Oh, yeah, that's true, silly me," she giggles. "Well, that's one of the plus sides of Game of Thrones coming to an end; it means I'll have more time for other projects. It's also a relief that I'll have my summers free and be able to go on holiday because I couldn't when we were filming, in case they rang up and said; 'there's been a change of schedule, we need you tomorrow...'
"It will also be nice to finally be able to get a tan," she says, before rising imperiously and sashaying out of the hotel lobby and disappearing into a haze of shimmering sunshine...
