Game of Thrones Star Expects to Show Symptoms of Trauma After Filming Controversial Scene

Game of Thrones came to an end back in 2019, and there were many controversies surrounding the series over the years. Not only were many fans unhappy with the final season, but there were moments throughout the series that caused some backlash, especially when Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) was forced to marry the evil Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) in the show’s fifth season. The assault that followed was hard for many fans to watch, and it wasn’t the only terrible thing to happen to Sansa over the years. During a recent conversation with Jessica Chastain for The Cut, Turner opened up about filming traumatic scenes and how she thinks it will affect her in the future. 

“It’s so weird. I don’t, but I kind of find it quite easy to go in and out,” Turner said when Chastain asked if she has a ritual for returning to normal life after playing tough scenes. “You saw on X-Men, in between takes, singing and dancing together. It does help having people around that are also willing to step out of it as well. And it’s just something that growing up on a show like Game of Thrones, the subject matter was so heavy that I just developed a coping mechanism of just having the most fun in between takes, so I wouldn’t get traumatized.”

She added, “I’m sure I’ll exhibit some symptoms of trauma down the road. At that age, I don’t think I could comprehend a lot of the scene matter. And the first few years, I had my mom with me because she was chaperoning me, so she would be very helpful and give me snacks. I don’t know what it is, but I feel like a 10-year-old in a school play again when someone that I know comes and sees me on set. I feel so embarrassed.” 

In addition to sorting through some of their characters’ traumatic moments, some of the women of Game of Thrones have also spoken out about how the sex and nudity was featured on the show. Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei) made an appearance on Josh Smith’s Make It Reign podcast last year and spoke about her time on the series, and how her nude scenes on the show have since affected her career.

“When I did Game of Thrones, I agreed toward certain nude scenes or nudity within the show,” Emmanuel explained. “And the perception from other projects, when the role required nudity, that I was just open to do anything because I did it on that one show.” She added, “What people didn’t realize is I agreed [to] terms and specific things for that one particular project, and that doesn’t necessarily apply to all projects.”

“I’ve had people challenge me and be like, ‘But this part requires that,’ and I said, ‘That’s fine if you require that in the part; I don’t feel comfortable doing that level of nudity. I will do this amount, you know, I can do this, which I think is necessary for the part,” she added. “Frankly, if someone was, like, ‘Well we need this nudity,’ I would be, like, ‘Well, thank you very much, I appreciate your interest but that’s just not what I feel is necessary for this part and it’s a difference of opinion and creative differences and that’s fine.’”

Back in 2019, Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) shared a similar sentiment after being nude on Game of Thrones. “I’m a lot more savvy [now] with what I’m comfortable with, and what I am okay with doing,” Clarke told Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. “I have had fights onset before when I am like, ‘No, sheet stays up.’ And they are like ‘You don’t want to disappoint your Game of Thrones fans.’ And I’m like ‘F*ck you.’”

What do you think about these Game of Thrones experiences? Tell us in the comments.