Sophie Turner’s transition from Westeros royalty to gothic horror lead in The Dreadful has already drawn headlines, but it’s her reunion with former Game of Thrones co-star Kit Harington that’s created the most unexpected buzz. The Dreadful is an upcoming British Gothic horror written and directed by Natasha Kermani and is set in the 15th century’s War of the Roses.
The Dreadful follows Anne (Turner) and mother-in-law Morwen (Marcia Gay Harden) as they encounter someone from their past while living on the outskirts of society. Game of Thrones’ Kit Harrington stars as Jago, with Laurence O’Fuarain, and Jonathan Howard also featuring in The Dreadful’s cast. In January, the film was reportedly in post-production, although no release date has been announced.
In an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Sophie Turner revealed The Dreadful includes a “bad moment” in her career, as she had to share romantic scenes with Kit Harrington, who formerly played her brother in Game of Thrones. As producer, Turner recommended Harrington for the film without realizing he’d play her love interest. Check out her explanation below:
I was reading through all the characters, and I’m producing it. So the director was asking me, you know, who do you think? And immediately the first person I thought of was Kit. And so I sent the script to Kit, and he kind of sent me a message back going like, “Yeah, I’d love to, but this is going to be really f***ing weird, Soph.” And I was like, what is he talking about? And then I was reading it and I’m like, kiss, kiss, sex, kiss, sex. And then I’m like, “Oh, shoot, that’s my brother.”
Turner admitted the concept of playing a love interest to Harrington was uncomfortable, “but it’s such a good script,” that they decided to “put it out of our minds.” That being said, Turner recalled their first kissing scene, stating they were “both retching. Like, really, it is vile. It was the worst. Another really bad moment in my career.”
What This Means For The Dreadful
Sophie Turner and Kit Harrington previously played siblings Sansa Stark and Jon Snow for eight seasons of Game of Thrones, gaining notoriety in their roles. In fact, Turner even grew up on the show, having started Game of Thrones when she was just 15 years old. Consequently, many fans may find The Dreadful jarring given their previous roles as siblings.
For Turner, the experience wasn’t just strange, it was physically nauseating. However, this could be the exact effect intended by the casting. The best gothic horrors have a way of unsettling the audience, and with well-known Game of Thrones sibling characters like Kit Harrington and Sophie Turner now playing lovers, the unfortunate casting could work in The Dreadful’s favor.
Our Take On The Dreadful’s Casting
Sophie Turner’s reaction to The Dreadful’s unfortunate Game of Thrones reunion is understandable. Having made her debut on the fantasy series when she was only 15 years old, and essentially grew up and formed relationships with the cast, it makes sense that Turner now sees Harrington as a bit of a brother figure in real life as well as on-screen.
While their chemistry will be undeniable, it will be an uncomfortable experience to watch, even though their characters are completely unrelated, so we can only imagine what it’s like for Harrington and Turner. Therefore, the fact they have decided to put their comfort aside truly speaks to their devotion to the craft, and just how great The Dreadful’s script is.
Game Of Thrones
10/10
- Release Date
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2011 – 2019-00-00
- Showrunner
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David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
- Directors
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David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff
