Sophie Turner embraces mental illness in Quibi's Survive
Warning: This program contains content related to suicidal ideation and substance abuse. It may be traumatic for some viewers.
Sophie Turner is no stranger to playing a survivor. In "Game of Thrones," Sansa Stark endured years of trauma, loss, and assault and was literally reborn as a queen. And in "X-Men," Turner's Jean Grey overcomes her own darkness and eventually embraces the immense power she possesses.
But in her latest project, "Survive," Turner plays a young adult who clearly doesn't want to move on; the film, whose first few chapters were released on the mobile streaming platform Quibi (opens in a new tab) on April 6, follows Turner's Jane, begins with her living in an institution and trying to process the grief of her father's suicide. She, too, is struggling with suicidal thoughts and plans to carry out the suicide on the plane ride home. Before she can do so, the plane crashes and Jane and another passenger, Paul (played by Corey Hawkins), are the only ones left behind in the snowy mountains. The bite-sized episode follows the two as they physically fight for survival while Jane wonders if she wants to survive.
Turner knew the role was outside her physical comfort zone: "I had no experience fighting off wolves or surviving in the mountains," Turner recently told Marie Claire. But at the same time, the actress revealed that she felt connected and close to Jane because of her personal struggle with mental health.
Here, Turner talks more about the character, what she likes about survival movies, and whether she would rather fight in the most brutal battle in Game of Thrones or battle the icy elements in Survive (opens in new tab).
Marie Claire: Have you read the book by Alex Morrell on which the movie is based?
Sophie Turner: I loved the accurate portrayal of mental illness. I liked the talent of the people I would be working with. I also loved the new innovative platform on which the film would be shown. And I loved the book.
MC: Was filming the Quibi show (opens in new tab) different because each "chapter" was only about 10 minutes long?
ST: We shot it like a movie, and after filming we looked back at our work and considered where we needed to condense/extend in order to complete the story in a 10-minute episode.
MC: Were you a fan of other plane crash movies (such as "Castaway") or TV shows (such as "Lost")? If so, what did you incorporate into "Survive" from those shows?
ST: I have always loved survival movies and wanted to be a part of them in some way. So I was ready to take part in a project like this. The only thing I learned from other survival films and shows was the level of commitment of the people involved in the project. So I wanted to do as much as I could on the actual location and throw myself into it.
MC: You've been very open about your own mental health (open in new tab), from your struggles with depression to the benefits of therapy. Have you also found that your understanding of your own mental health has changed in any way about Jane's journey in "Survive"?
ST: I tried to be as honest as possible with Jane's story about mental illness. Having gone through a similar experience as Jane, I was able to work with the director and screenwriter to edit the script as much as I wanted.
MC: How have you survived this social distance?
ST: I am an introvert, so my life is not much different than usual.
MC: Aside from watching Quibis, is there anything else you would like to do for 5-10 minutes?
ST: Meditate, eat, play with my puppy.
MC: Would you rather fight in the "Battle of the Bastards" and escape the dragons, as in "Game of Thrones" (opens in new tab), or climb an icy mountain and deal with an avalanche, as in "Survive"?
ST: As Sophie, I would definitely prefer to climb the ice mountain and deal with the avalanche. A "Battle of the Bastards" is a no-win situation.
MC: Which house would Paul and Jane from Game of Thrones be in?
ST: Probably the Starks. No one else could survive in such a freezing environment.
The final chapter of Survive will be available on Quibi on April 17.
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