Sophie Turner Shares Rare Insight Into Life as a Single Mother: ‘There’s So Much Shame’
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, according to the old adage — but it also makes you more empathetic. No one would choose to experience tough situations, but when we do, it helps us to understand and relate to others with similar stories. For actors, it can help them really understand a role they take on, as is the case with the recently divorced Sophie Turner. She opened up about life as a single mom to her two daughters with ex-husband Joe Jonas in a heartfelt new interview.
The Game of Thrones alum opened up about her latest role, the diamond thief and single mom Joan Hannington. “Joan changed me quite a lot. From utter desperation comes so much will and ambition,” Turner told The Sunday Times yesterday. “The series came around at a time in my life where I had to be ambitious and I had to have such strong will and fight against the forces. She gave me a lot of strength.” She added with a smile, “She also taught me how to do a good ring swap in a handbag.”
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Turner, who is mom to Willa, 4, and Delphine, 2, with Jonas, said being a mother helped her in this role. “If I hadn’t been a mother, I don’t know if I would have been able to bring the same energy that I did into it,” she said. “It’s such a struggle being a single mother. Joan doesn’t go about it in the best way … but it is amazing to see her really fighting for her daughter. It’s also really important for kids to see just how hard parents work for them.”
She also spoke about moms getting shamed and judged for their actions. “There’s so much shame that comes with motherhood,” Turner said. “You go to work, you’re shamed. If you don’t go to work, you’re shamed.”
Today, Turner took to her Instagram Story to clarify some of the comments she made in the article. “I have been widely misquoted today in publications where I have ‘stated’ that ‘it’s such a struggle being a single mother,’” she wrote. “I’d like to clarify that I was talking about the character of Joan that I play and was not referring to myself, which is obvious from the original interview in the Sunday Times Culture section.”
She added, “I am very fortunate personally to have a lot of help around me, which is not the case for a lot of people — I applaud all single mothers doing it alone.”
Of course, it’s not a battle to see who has it worse (you can still struggle even if you are in a different position than other people). Still, it’s nice that Turner recognizes that she has privilege that many other moms might not have. Motherhood is hard in general, and when you don’t have a support system it can feel incredibly isolating.
Turner has had a difficult time with mom-shaming in the past. Like after she filed for divorce from the Jonas Brothers singer last September, when she was filming Joan, and rumors swirled that she liked to party.
“I mean, those were the worst few days of my life,” she told British Vogue in June. “I remember I was on set, I was contracted to be on set for another two weeks, so I couldn’t leave. My kids were in the States and I couldn’t get to them because I had to finish Joan. And all these articles started coming out… It hurt because I really do completely torture myself over every move I make as a mother – mum guilt is so real! I just kept having to say to myself, ‘None of this is true. You are a good mum and you’ve never been a partier.’”
Now their divorce is finalized and both Turner and Jonas have moved on (Turner with Peregrine Pearson and Jonas with Stormi Bree and Laila Abdallah). Turner is also back in England, just enjoying life every day. She told The Times yesterday, “I’m with my friends; I’m with my family; I’m eating good chocolate. I am thrilled.” It sounds perfect.
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