Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner says she was not happy with her body before she began training for X-Men: Apocalypse.
The 20-year-old red-headed actress, who plays Sansa Stark on the HBO series, makes her debut in the new superhero prequel film sequel as a younger version of telepathic mutant Jean Grey. Turner had always appeared slim as Sansa, who is typically dressed in long sleeve, thick, form-fitting dresses. She has worked out with personal trainers Holly "Lil Bear" Lawson, an MMA fighter, and Wissam Khozoui to get X-Men body ready.
Turner told Net-A-Porter's The Edit magazine, which features her on its latest cover, that before she got a personal trainer for the movie, she "went through a bit of a dark place."
"I was not happy with myself," she said. "I think for me, and for every young girl out there, body image is such a big thing, especially if you are in the public eye. People comment on [your appearance] and...eugh. So when I was forced to get into shape and eat healthily, my skin cleared up and I felt energetic all the time. It totally changed me."
Happy burfday ?? @SophieT #LastYearAsATeen pic.twitter.com/F6ie5rptjc
? Wiss (@Wissam10) February 20, 2015
@Wissam10 so much pain and embarrassment
? Sophie Turner (@SophieT) January 3, 2015
Turner's casting in X-Men: Apocalypse was announced in January 2015. The movie is set for release on May 27.
Turner joins fellow newcomers Alexandra Shipp, 24, who will play a younger version of Storm, Olivia Munn, 35, who plays Psylocke, and Tye Sheridan, 19, who takes over the role of Cyclops, one of Jean's love interests. Star Wars: The Force Awakens star Oscar Isaac, 37, makes his franchise debut as the villain Apocalypse.
The movie also stars returning actors Jennifer Lawrence, 25 (Mystique), James McAvoy, 36 (Professor X), Michael Fassbender, 39 (Magneto), Nicholas Hoult, 26 (Beast) and Evan Peters, 29 (Quicksilver).
Turner told The Edit Lawrence told her, "I'm so excited to work with you, I love Game of Thrones!'"
The HBO series' sixth season premieres on April 24. Turner filmed a video for The Edit in which she imitates co-star Kit Harington's character Jon Snow, whose fate remains a mystery and has yielded a slew of fan theories, and does a dramatic reading of Adele's 2015 hit "Hello."
When asked about Snow, Turner told The Edit, "Every single person I speak to asks, 'Is Jon Snow dead?' Yeah, of course he is!"