Sophie Turner says playing 'lovers' with “Game of Thrones” brother Kit Harington was 'really weird' in new movie

Published: Jul 18 2025

Sophie Turner is issuing a forewarning about her cinematic reunion with Kit Harington. After portraying the half-siblings Sansa Stark and Jon Snow across the epic eight-season span of "Game of Thrones," the duo is set to collaborate once more in "The Dreadful," a chilling gothic horror film set against the backdrop of the 15th-century War of the Roses. Fans are undoubtedly ecstatic at the prospect of witnessing these actors share the screen once more; however, Turner cautions everyone to brace for a somewhat altered dynamic.

Sophie Turner says playing 'lovers' with “Game of Thrones” brother Kit Harington was 'really weird' in new movie 1

"I recently starred in an exhilarating film alongside my old yet dear friend Kit Harington, who portrayed my brother in 'Game of Thrones,'" Turner, 29, revealed in a Wednesday video for Vogue. "We're diving into the realm of gothic horror... but this time, we play lovers." With a wry grimace, Turner apologized to those who watched them as siblings in the HBO drama, adding, "Sorry, folks. It's quite bizarre for all of us."

To be honest, "Thrones" fans are no strangers to the uncomfortable undertones of incest. In fact, during the show's final seasons, fans buzzed with anticipation about the romantic possibilities between Sansa and Jon, especially after—spoiler ahead—it was revealed they were cousins, not siblings.

In a 2016 interview with Access Hollywood, Turner joked, "Anything could happen, or nothing could. They are cousins, and this is 'Game of Thrones,' after all." However, at that time, she added that sharing romantic scenes with Harington would be out of the question: "I couldn't do that with Kit," she said. "There's no way I could pull off those kinds of scenes with him—I'd laugh too much."

Less than a decade later, "The Dreadful" will see Turner portraying Anne, an outlier living with her mother-in-law on the fringes of society. Her harsh, solitary life is abruptly disrupted by the arrival of a man (Harington) from their past, triggering a chain of events that marks a turning point for Anne.

Despite the awkwardness of playing a love interest to her former onscreen brother-turned-cousin, Turner previously admitted that she advocated for Harington to take on the role. "They were in search of someone for that part, and I was like, 'You simply can't overlook Kit,'" she told the Sunday Times last year. "It's set during the Wars of the Roses, so we'll probably be floating around in robes atop clifftops once more."

The story boasts another "Thrones" connection—the 15th-century conflict that served as its backdrop was also a primary inspiration for George R.R. Martin while penning the "Song of Ice and Fire" series, which "Game of Thrones" is based on.

The film, which wrapped production last year, also stars Marcia Gay Harden, Laurence O'Fuarain, and Jonathan Howard. "The Dreadful" is helmed by Natasha Kermani, the director of "Lucky" and "Abraham's Boys," who also penned the script.

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