STARK CONTRAST

Sophie Turner on switching from Game Of Thrones to X- Men

How did you approach playing the young Jean Grey?

It’s very exciting because we know where she ends up, and how amazing she becomes, and how powerful. So it was fun to play that down and have it as a troubled young girl struggling massively – not just with her powers, but being a teenager and being accepted.

Was it intimidating to come into this cast?

Oh my god, I was petrified! But as soon as I got the part, Nick Hoult emailed me. “Congratulations! We’re excited to have you.” Then I came on set and everyone was just the nicest. What I thought was going to happen was the young ones would form our own group, and the older ones would be protective of the group that they have. But no, they welcomed us in with open arms.

This role must be much more physically demanding than Sansa Stark.

Definitely. I’ve been in and out of the gym constantly to get my fitness levels up and just look like I could do something. Despite the fact that she’s telepathic and telekinetic, so I figure she can just sit and do nothing! I was like, “Can’t she just be fat and eat a lot?” But apparently not…