The actress speaks candidly about the personal crisis she experienced after closing a chapter that defined her adolescence.
The end of Game of Thrones in 2019 did not only leave millions of viewers in mourning. For Sophie Turner, who grew up in front of the cameras playing Sansa Stark from the age of 13, it marked a profound emotional shock and a pivotal life turning point. In her January cover interview for Porter, the actress admits she went through a serious identity crisis after saying goodbye to the series.
“I think I went through a bit of an identity crisis and needed to completely step away from that world for a couple of years,” she explained. “It felt like a death when the show ended. We all had to leave and process it. I needed time to figure out who I was, what I wanted, and who I was as an actress.”
Starting so young in the industry only intensified that struggle. In previous interviews, Turner had already spoken about how her teenage years were shaped by circumstances far removed from normality. “I couldn’t go to university or spend much time with friends, so for a while I was constantly thinking, ‘Who am I?’” she said back in 2019. Over the years, the actress has also been open about the toll this took on her mental health.
After Game of Thrones ended, Turner set herself a firm rule: she would avoid period dramas or medieval-style projects altogether. That decision shifted when she read the script for ‘The Dreadful’, a gothic horror film that marks her return to that kind of world. Filming in 2024 reminded her of the physical demands such productions entail. “You’re outdoors a lot, wearing dresses that don’t keep you warm, covered in mud,” she recalled.
One of the most striking aspects of the project was her reunion with Kit Harington, her former Game of Thrones co-star. Turner sent him the script, and they both agreed it was too good to turn down, despite the awkwardness of playing romantic interests after years of portraying on-screen siblings.
Harington warned her in advance that it would be “really f***ing weird,” a sentiment Turner later echoed with laughter during a television interview. “It’s the first kissing scene and we’re both gagging. Honestly, it’s disgusting. It was the worst,” she joked.
Beyond the anecdote, working together again had an unexpectedly grounding emotional effect. “We have a non-verbal dialogue,” Turner explained in Porter. “I can read him and he can read me. Having him on set anchored me. It took me back to when I was 13 and knew nothing about the industry.”
Today, Sophie Turner looks back without romanticising the experience, but with the clarity of someone who has survived early fame. Her story is not just about an actress closing a chapter, but about rebuilding an identity beyond the role that once defined her to the world.
