Game of Thrones was known for its graphic and brutal scenes but the assault of Sansa Stark remains a controversial plot point for fans.
Actress Sophie Turner has now defended the show, 10 years on from her character’s rape at the hands of Ramsay Bolton.
Now 29 years old, Sophie said the long-running fantasy series ‘shone a light’ on things that we often shy away from.
Speaking to Flaunt magazine, she discussed the season two episode The Old Gods and the New, in which Sansa narrowly escapes sexual assault.
Sophie, who was around 15 when the scene was filmed, said she ‘didn’t fully understand it’ at the time and was ‘trying to figure it out in my young little head.’
Just three seasons later, her character was attacked again, this time by her new husband, prompting outcries from fans.
The Joan star admitted she could understand why the episode Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken resulted in such a strong reaction from viewers but it was an important conversation to have.
‘I did feel — and still do — that Game of Thrones shone a light on things that many people were like, “Oh god, you can’t show that kind of thing’”— and I understand it can be triggering — I totally understand that point of view,’ she said.
‘But I did feel we were actually doing a lot of justice to women and the fight women have had to fight for hundreds of thousands of years — the patriarchy, being treated as objects, and being constantly sexually assaulted — I don’t think there’s one woman I know who hasn’t had a form of that.’
She ‘had more of a grasp on what was happening’ in the horrific scene, which was accused of undercutting Sansa’s agency by critics at the time.
While her sister Arya carved a path outside of the cutthroat world of warring families, Sansa was left in the hands of the Lannisters.
After a failed betrothal to the king, she was married off to his uncle Tyrion before eventually journeying back to the North and into the clutches of Ramsay Bolton.
Portrayed by Iwan Rheon, the character was unhinged and sadistic with a penchant for psychological torture and death by flaying.
Sophie added that if the show aired today, then they would have put a trigger warning on the episode; however, this wasn’t standard practice in 2015.
‘I’m really proud to have been a part of Game of Thrones where they didn’t shy away from showing atrocities that happened to women back then. I feel proud to have been part of the conversation.’
Game of Thrones ran from 2011 until its final eighth season in 2019, with Sophie landing the role at just 13 years old.
Set in the fictional medieval continent of Westeros, the show focused on the warring factions and royal families who each longed to sit on the Iron Throne.
Known for shocking twists and big character deaths, the HBO series became a huge cultural phenomenon, gaining wide acclaim.
Recently, Sophie worked with her Stark sibling Kit Harington — but their reunion wasn’t exactly pleasant.
For their new movie The Dreadful, the pair had to lock lips in a ‘vile’ experience as she revealed on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
‘We are both retching,’ the actress explained. ‘Like really, it is vile — it was the worst.’
After recommending Kit, 38, for the role, he was hesitant to sign on, and when she read the script properly, she saw it was all ‘kiss, kiss, sex, kiss, sex.’
‘I’m like, “Oh, shoot … that’s my brother,”’ Sophie laughed. ‘But it’s such a good script that he was like, “We kind of have to do it.”‘
Since Game of Thrones wrapped, most of the Stark siblings have gone on to have blockbuster careers, with Kit and Richard Madden (Robb Stark) both starring in Marvel’s Eternals.
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