Sophie Turner enjoys playing complex and flawed characters. The British actress often chooses roles featuring women who have to fight to be taken seriously, and while she doesn’t always plan it, she often finds similarities between these characters and herself. Her latest role, in the six-part Prime Video series “Steal,” which launches Wednesday, is Zara, a decidedly unpredictable woman working in the world of finance.
“I find women who are easily won over uninteresting,” says actress Alicia Turner, speaking from London recently. She’s about to begin filming the new “Tomb Raider” series for Prime Video, where she’ll play the famous video game character Lara Croft. While she’s been working hard to build muscle for the role for the past year, it’s mostly hidden by her sweater. However, Turner, 29, exudes a self-assuredness that shows she’s strong both inside and out.
She explains that she’s looking for complex, multi-dimensional characters and significant personal growth throughout the story. She wants to portray characters who are uncertain about their future, feel lost and undervalued, and it’s rewarding to see those honest, vulnerable moments, especially with female characters. She finds it freeing to play such roles.
We first meet Zara as a somewhat disoriented and hungover employee at Lochmill Capital in London. Her day immediately gets worse when thieves target the office building and force her and her colleague, Luke, to assist in a pension fund heist. Zara soon finds herself tangled in a complicated scheme where she might be more involved than she realizes.
Turner found it freeing to play a character experiencing a breakdown, especially since she had recently returned to England and gone through a difficult divorce from Joe Jonas while filming the series in 2024.
She explains that growing up in the public eye doesn’t allow for normal mistakes. When you’re constantly watched from a young age – in her case, 13 – there’s no room for error. But making mistakes is essential for growth, especially during adolescence. She believes those learning experiences should happen privately, allowing space for personal development without public scrutiny.
Playing Zara felt freeing because it allowed me to explore a really raw and vulnerable side of myself on camera – almost like I was getting to pretend to go through something extreme. I remember questioning if I was even allowed to portray that, but ultimately, I decided to go for it.
It’s difficult to discuss the plot of “Steal” without revealing its surprises. The show’s thrilling nature was what first attracted Turner, and she discussed it with director Sam Miller after receiving the scripts. She recalls asking him about the themes he hoped to examine in the series.
The show explores the question of why good people sometimes make bad choices. It also tackles relevant issues like the rising cost of living, income inequality, and the impact of growing up in difficult, potentially abusive homes. The characters’ actions, like those of Zara and Luke, are driven by a complex mix of factors, and the series investigates the limits of human endurance – how much pressure can someone take before they’re driven to do something they wouldn’t normally do?
People’s choices are often heavily influenced by their situations,” Madekwe explains. “We frequently see individuals feeling trapped, like they have limited options, yet still wanting to improve their lives. Even with good intentions, they might act out of sheer need without considering the consequences. The actions of these characters are usually driven by immediate impulse rather than careful thought.
Turner explains that while the show has exciting action and drama, it avoids being overly preachy or heavy-handed. He wants viewers to be entertained and escape for a bit, but also feel like the story is grounded in reality.
Most of the movie “Steal” was filmed on location in London. While the Lochmill Capital interior was built on a set, nearly all other scenes were shot in real places around the city, often late at night. Interestingly, Turner is the only actor I’ve ever spoken with who said they actually enjoy working on night shoots.
She said she enjoyed it and couldn’t understand why others didn’t. She described it as having a slightly mischievous feeling, like being a kid at a nighttime school event when you feel you shouldn’t be there.
Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey hadn’t met before filming began. While Ashley was on vacation in Capri, Bailey texted her, saying he’d heard she was there and was just a short walk away on the same beach. They ended up spending the rest of their holiday together, which meant they started filming as close friends.
I was so impressed by the genuine friendship that developed between them! It really showed on set – they already had this amazing connection, which was crucial considering how intensely hot the studio was during those long summer shoots. They were clearly able to support each other, boost each other’s spirits, and that beautiful energy really translated into their performances.
Turner adds, “We totally fell in love with each other on this project, platonically.”
Madekwe was struck by Turner’s talent for subtly portraying emotions and her professional dedication. He noted she was incredibly committed to her role and the project, but also created a positive and joyful atmosphere for everyone on set. She made a point of greeting each crew member by name, remembering everyone, and truly led by example, setting a wonderful tone for the entire production.
Turner thoroughly developed Zara’s history, just as she does with all her characters. Zara is caught in a difficult relationship with her mother, who struggles with alcohol. Even two years later, Turner can recall an incredibly detailed backstory, covering Zara’s education and the underlying causes of her mother’s drinking.
Turner believes it’s beneficial to develop hidden details about a character that aren’t shared with the audience or even the director. This adds depth and subtlety to the performance. When creating a character, she likes to fully understand their motivations, including any fears or phobias, to build a more complete and believable portrayal.
She’s not sure if she remembers Zara’s unusual fears. “I’d need to look through my notes,” she explains. She keeps detailed notebooks for each of her characters, including their histories and journals written from their point of view – like what they were thinking and feeling at ages 12 and 25. She says she keeps everything documented.”
Sansa Stark is the only character from “Game of Thrones” that Sophie Turner doesn’t have a dedicated notebook for. She played Sansa for eight seasons and now wishes she had kept one, explaining she was too young during filming to realize how helpful it would have been for understanding the character.
Sansa Stark was Sophie Turner’s first and most important role as an actress. She was just 13 years old when she got the part and grew up while filming the show. Turner had dreamed of being an actress for as long as she could remember, starting classes at age 3. She recalls telling her mother when she was 11 that she wanted to start working in the industry as a child, believing it would be easier to build a lasting career. However, she didn’t have a specific plan until the audition for ‘Game of Thrones’ came along and changed everything.
Despite enjoying her work on the show, Sophie Turner faced a lot of public attention and criticism. Some of the scenes she filmed, including a difficult rape scene, were considered very adult for someone so young. She’s openly discussed her struggles with depression and anxiety, which began in her teens, and has been candid about seeking therapy. After the show concluded in 2019, Turner was eager to pursue different career opportunities and hasn’t taken on similar roles since.
I received many offers to appear in historical dramas, but I didn’t want to do any more after ‘Game of Thrones,’ mostly because of the cold. Filming those shows meant spending a lot of time outdoors in thin costumes, often covered in mud.
She smiled playfully and explained why she disliked the activity. “It’s not as fun as it looks,” she said. “You end up with mud all over the bottom of your dress, and when you have to use the restroom, the mud splatters back when you lift your dress. It’s really not glamorous at all.”
Following her role on “Game of Thrones,” Sophie Turner starred as Jean Grey in the “X-Men” films “Apocalypse” and “Dark Phoenix.” She also played real-life thief Joan Hannington in the limited series “Joan” and an actress fighting for her life in the thriller “Trust.” After finishing the film “Steal” and another project called “The Dreadful,” Turner fully dedicated herself to preparing for “Tomb Raider.” She’s approaching the iconic character differently than previous portrayals, emphasizing strength over a stereotypical “sex symbol” image – and she promises no exaggerated, revealing outfits.
Turner explains that she wants to focus on the character’s personality and motivations, not just her appearance, which often gets the most attention. She emphasizes that the character is powerfully capable and doesn’t shy away from showing it.
Preparing for the role of Lara Croft has surprisingly given Turner, who has two children with Joe Jonas, a newfound sense of confidence and security while navigating life as a single mother in London. She explains, “I used to just think about grabbing the kids and running if something felt unsafe. Now, I feel capable of defending them – my first instinct would be to confront a threat.”
She explained that this role requires a level of physical training she’s never experienced before. While she stayed in shape for her role in ‘X-Men,’ her character’s telekinetic abilities didn’t demand much physical exertion. She was surprised by how much her body could handle and feels accomplished even before filming begins.
You might have noticed Sophie Turner hasn’t appeared in many projects since “Game of Thrones,” and that’s intentional. She’s been carefully choosing her roles, and has also been prioritizing raising her two young children, born in 2020 and 2022.
She’s not committing to anything right now. After having children, she felt pressured to rebuild her career, and then she went through a costly divorce. Now, she finally feels like she’s in a position to choose projects she genuinely wants to work on, and she’s enjoying that freedom.
The final episode of “Steal” shows Zara as a stronger, more capable character than she was at the start of the series. Turner explains that acting out the intense emotional scenes allowed her to process her own feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration. However, she isn’t sure if playing characters who are searching for their place in life actually helps her find her own way.
What has helped is therapy.
“I’m figuring it out,” Turner says. “I’m still finding my way, in a good way.”
Read More
2026-01-21 14:32