Sophie Turner defends ‘Game of Thrones’ rape scene

Sophie Turner is giving her perspective on the brutal rape scene that her character endured in Season 5 of “Game of Thrones.”

The actress, 29, who famously starred as Sansa Stark on the HBO series, reflected on the “triggering” plotline in an interview with Flaunt magazine.

When her character was almost raped in the Season 2 episode titled “The Old Gods and the New,” the star, who was 14 when filming started, admitted she “didn’t fully understand it” at the time.

“I was trying to figure it out in my young little head,” she explained.

Fast-forward to the Season 5 episode “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” when Stark is sexually assaulted at the hands of her new husband Ramsay Bolton (played by Iwan Rheon).

By the time the episode aired, Turner was 19 and “had more of a grasp of what was happening.”

The actress confessed that she understood why the scene sparked outrage; however, she believes many missed the bigger meaning.

“I did feel — and still do — that Game of Thrones shone a light on things that many people were like, ‘Oh god, you can’t show that kind of thing’ — and I understand it can be triggering — I totally understand that point of view,” Turner said.

“But I did feel we were actually doing a lot of justice to women and the fight women have had to fight for hundreds of thousands of years — the patriarchy, being treated as objects, and being constantly sexually assaulted — I don’t think there’s one woman I know who hasn’t had a form of that,” she continued.

Noting that those controversial scenes may have been handled differently today, Turner said she has no regrets.

“I think if Game of Thrones came out today, we’d definitely put some trigger warnings on there,” the star added. “But I’m really proud to have been a part of Game of Thrones where they didn’t shy away from showing atrocities that happened to women back then. I feel proud to have been part of the conversation.”

When the episode aired in 2015, several people criticized how it was depicted onscreen.

One writer for The Atlantic wrote that the showrunners “still apparently believe that their tendency to ramp up the sex, violence, and — especially — sexual violence of George R.R. Martin’s source material is a strength rather than the defining weakness of their adaptation.”

A critic for The Guardian warned that the “Game of Thrones” writers were “walking a very fine line” with Stark’s rape scene.

“They handled it well tonight, telling a gothic tale of innocence sacrificed … and hinted perfectly at horrors to come, but they must be careful not to tip from there to gratuitous violence for its own sake,” they stated.

However, The Post’s Sara Stewart said those outraged “missed the point” completely.

“Why are we suddenly so outraged about the rape of Sansa Stark, when this show has served up a steady diet of sexual assault and violence against women since its first season began?” she questioned.

Rheon, meanwhile, called the rape scene the “worst day of my career.”

“That was horrible. Nobody wanted to be there. Nobody wants to do that, but if it’s telling a story then you have to tell it truthfully,” he told Metro in 2020, noting it was “very, very hard watching” the scene later on.

Turner recently joked that she got her sex education from “Game of Thrones,” which ran on HBO for 8 seasons, from 2011 to 2019.

The medieval drama also starred Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke and Peter Dinklage.

While Turner is not in the “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon,” she has addressed whether her character would ever make a comeback.

“It would have to be the exact same cast and the exact same crew,” she told Variety in September. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t go back, and that would just be season nine. I don’t think we’re going to do a season nine.”