At only 23 years old, Sophie Turner has starred in all eight seasons of Game Of Thrones . Starting on the show when she was just fifteen years old, Sophie went through puberty and entered adulthood in front of millions of viewers. Now, Sophie’s opening up about the emotional toll the experience had on her and her mental health.
During an interview with Doctor Phil on his podcast, “Phil In The Blanks” (brilliant name, btw) Sophie talked about her time on “Game Of Thrones” and how growing up on television was incredibly difficult.
Because hot take — people can be super mean online!
Sophie explained that she grew up being familiar with different mental health problems.
“Since I was young, we’ve had a whole mental health thing in my family,” she said.
Sophie said it’s a subject she feels very strongly about and also the mental health problems she grew familiar with included some of her own.
Sophie said she’s been battling severe depression since she was just 17 years old.
She told Dr. Phil, “I think it was a combination of social media (being) on the rise at that time and also my friends were going to university, and I wasn’t going to university,” she explained. “I was working, but I was still living at my parents’ house, so I felt very alone.”
Fans began to harshly comment on Sophie’s change in appearance, which greatly affected her self esteem.
“It was just a lot of weight comments, or I would have spotty skin because I was a teenager – and that’s normal – and I used to get a lot of comments about my skin and my weight and how I wasn’t a good actress.”
“I would just believe it,” she confessed. “I would just say, ‘Yeah, I am spotty, I am fat, I am a bad actress.”
Let this serve as a great reminder that celebrities are people TOO and you shouldn’t be horrible to them –especially if they’re young, impressionable women.
Sophie revealed she suffered with a very common side affect with her depression – isolation.
“I had no motivation to do anything or go out,” she admitted. “Even with my best friends; I wouldn’t want to see them; I wouldn’t want to go out and eat with them.”
Sophie recalls herself asking the costume department to tighten her corset, as she was becoming “very, very self-conscious.”
“It would just affect me creatively, and I couldn’t be true to the character because I was so worried about Sophie.”
While battling depression Sophie said she experienced suicidal thoughts.
“I used to think about suicide a lot when I was younger,” said Sophie. “I don’t think I ever would’ve gone through with it. I don’t know.”
Part of the struggle was that being a young actor was affecting Sophie’s social life.
Sophie says the show shot for an entire 7 months out of the year with some breaks in between.
Whenever she did get breaks, she often would stay inside and do nothing alongside her BFF Maisie Williams.
“I’m learning what my hobbies are nowadays cause that was something that I stripped away from myself for years and just do nothing and work,” Sophie said.
Sophie claims she is doing “much better” thanks to therapy, medication and self-love — which has been helped by the love of her fiancé, Joe Jonas.
“I’m now with someone that makes me realize that I do have some redeeming qualities, I suppose.”
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GUYS UGH I LOVE THEM TOGETHER SO MUCH!
Sophie also got help by confiding in her new best friend on set.
Her and Maisie are legit real-life BFF goals.
“She and I were growing up together and she was my best friend and so she’s the only one that I really told about it.”
She even used some of the hate sent her way as motivation to get better.
“I actually wasn’t angry when people said I was wooden because it kind of inspired me to try new methods of acting,” Sophie said.
That’s right girl, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!
“When someone tells you they love you every day, it makes you really think about why that is, and I think it makes you love yourself a bit more.”
I’m so happy Sophie has learned to love herself because we all love you, boo!
And Joe. We love you Joe!
