Sophie Turner has become one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry primarily because of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones. Now, with her having joined the X-Men franchise as the young Jean Grey in X-Men: Apocalypse, her name is bigger than ever.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 20-year-old English actress discussed her experience playing the telepathic/telekinetic mutant, her future in the franchise, as well as Game of Thrones and X-Menfans.
At the beginning of the dialogue, Turner was asked whether she is a fan of the X-Men universe in general. She clearly speaks for any fan who gets drawn to the unique characters of the franchise and their stories when she said:
I was an X-Men fan. I've seen all the movies and everything. And I've read a couple of the comics when I was younger. I think its one of those franchises where it's not just about being a fully formed superhero, like who have got all their s— together. Especially this franchise. They have these story arcs and all the characters are flawed. And all of them have their own insecurities. That's what kind of drew me to X-Men — and Jean's story, in particular, I always loved.
Turner's Jean comes at the heels of Famke Janssen's adult version, and the actress is also asked how her version of Jean is compared to Janssen's. The actress explained:
She can't control her powers. And she and Charles can see just how strong she is. But she's at the school and all the kids are kind of afraid of her so they alienate her. And she is afraid of herself so she kind of alienates herself.
She's just very, very vulnerable, and so terrified. She's just kind of a lone wolf. And, I mean, she's going through puberty and she's being a teenager. And then Cyclops joins the school and they kind of find a kindred spirit in each other.
...And this is about her just trying to find her powers and just coming to terms with herself.
Turner also admitted how the franchise wouldn't be complete without Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, who were all present and played pivotal roles in the past X-Men films. She said:
...I think it definitely felt like there was a rebirth in the story and these characters kind of inject a new kind of light into the movie and it kind of gets you going again. But [those actors] such big parts of the last three that I think, I don't think we could hold down a movie on our own. Who knows?
With her co-star Tye Sheridan, who plays Cyclops, signed for two more films, it begs the question whether Turner's contract will also involve a future in the X-Men universe, especially since the site described the film as "really set[ting] the stage for a retelling of the Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix storyline." Turner apparently isn't certain, but she remains hopeful, saying:
Yeah, that is the same case. But you know, it could change ‘cause they might want to get rid of anyone. You never know.
The seeds of Phoenix definitely are planted in there. It's kind of like she has this at the back of her mind and it's almost like she can't control her powers unless she either fully stops them or she lets them all loose, and that's kind of Phoenix. There are definitely, like, bits and pieces, but I think in future movies to come we'll definitely see a bit more of that.
On a lighter note, the actress also shared her and her co-stars' experience wearing the X-Men suits:
You know, it's funny, you're supposed to kind of be able to do anything in them. But a lot of the time we kind of felt like grandparents when we couldn't kneel down properly and we'd all be like, holding our backs, and like kneeling being like, "Ugh oh!" So mobility wise, they weren't the best. But at least we looked cool.
And the final and one of the most interesting questions that came up in the interview is which fans are more passionate – Game of Thrones or X-Men. Turner said:
I haven't experienced the full force of the X-Men fans yet. But, for now I'm gonna sayThrones. We will soon find out.
Well, perhaps it can't be helped. While the X-Men franchise has been in the industry for almost two decades, Turner has been in Game of Thrones longer. She may not get much reaction from X-Men fans since she's only been in the franchise for one film. Then again, as Turner said, we'll find out once the film is released.
You can check out the full interview with Turner here.
X-Men: Apocalypse hits theaters on May 27.
Read: Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner Thinks Sansa Has To "Swing the Other Way" When it Comes to Romance
Read: X-Men: Apocalypse's Sophie Turner Says Jennifer Lawrence 'Punched Me in The Vagina' on Set
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Fandoms