Sophie Turner opens up about how negative 'Game of Thrones' comments affected her mental health

17 April 2019, 14:01

By PopBuzz

Sophie Turner revealed how social media scrutiny of her appearance and acting ability as a teen on 'Game of Thrones' became a 'catalyst' for some of her mental health issues.

Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner has opened up about suffering from depression as a young actor. In an interview for Dr. Phil's podcast, Sophie Turner discussed how comments about her appearance and acting ability impacted her mental health.

Sophie Turner has played Sansa Stark on HBO's Game of Thrones since the very beginning. In her discussion with Dr. Phil she revealed that, when she was going through puberty, people online made comments about her weight and skin that led to feelings of insecurity.

"Everything was incredible and it only started to go downhill when I started to hit puberty–really puberty, at like 17. And my metabolism was slowing down, massively, and I was gaining weight. And then there was the social media scrutiny."

"People used to write 'damn Sansa gained 10 pounds' or 'Sansa needs to lose 10 pounds' or 'Sansa got fat'. It was just a lot of weight comments. Or I would have, like, spotty skin–because I was a teenager and that's normal. I used to get a lot of comments about my skin and my weight and how I wasn't a good actress. I used to get called 'wooden' a lot."

Sophie revealed that she actually internalised many of these comments. She also added that that her mental health struggle made her isolated and that she would stay at home and avoid going out, even with close friends.

Watch a clip of her Dr. Phil appearance below.

'Game Of Thrones' Star Sophie Turner Reveals Social Media Was 'Catalyst' For Depression On 'Phil …

Later on in the interview, Sophie sadly revealed that she used to "think about suicide" a lot when she was younger.

"It's weird. I say I wasn't very depressed when I was younger, but I used to think about suicide a lot when I was younger. I don't know why though," Sophie said. "Maybe it's just a weird fascination I used to have, but yeah, I used to think about it. I don't think I ever would have gone through with it. I don't know."

Sophie shared that she is now in therapy and on medication and urged the need for quality mental health care in the UK. In the interview, Dr. Phil praised Sophie for being open about her mental health struggles and expressed a belief that her openness would hopefully benefit others.

You can watch the full Dr. Phil and Sophie Turner interview here.

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, please contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the US or contact a Samaritan in the UK.