It is one of the greatest career-launching stories in modern television history. A 13-year-old girl, with no prior on-screen experience, attends an open casting call purely for a laugh with her schoolmates. That teenager was Sophie Turner. That “joke” audition led directly to her becoming Sansa Stark, the Queen in the North, and a star of HBO’s record-breaking series, Game of Thrones.
The casting director, Nina Gold, toured various schools in England searching for young, fresh talent. Turner recounted that she and all her friends auditioned simply as “a fun, kind of jokey thing to do.” She did not even tell her parents until she received several callbacks. By then, she had become one of the final seven contenders for the role. Her mother initially “freaked out.” But her father insisted, “Shut up, this is what she has wanted her whole life. You have to let her give it a go.”
The Transformation for Sansa Stark
Landing the role of Sansa Stark, the eldest daughter of House Stark, immediately demanded a major physical change that would last nearly a decade. Naturally a blonde, Turner was required to dye her hair auburn. This was necessary to match the look of the Stark family in the brutal world of Westeros. She maintained this look throughout the early seasons. She eventually began wearing wigs later in the run. This simple, initial commitment was the first of many sacrifices for the role. Filming began in July 2010, when she was just 14 years old.
A Major Career and Television Landmark
Game of Thrones swiftly became a global cultural phenomenon. Turner’s portrayal of Sansa Stark earned significant critical praise, especially for its later seasons. Her character evolved from a naive, starry-eyed noblewoman into a sharp, resilient political survivor.
Turner’s dedicated eight-season run on the show, from 2011 to 2019, led to several notable accolades and events. In 2019, Turner received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in the final season. She was also nominated in 2012 for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Series – Supporting Young Actress. The show’s massive success propelled her into a movie career. This was most notably in the X-Men franchise, where she played Jean Grey/Phoenix.
What began as a whim in a school hall became a career that defined an era of television. Sophie Turner’s story is a powerful reminder that sometimes, the biggest, most life-altering opportunities arrive under the guise of casual fun.