Sophie Turner talks about the struggles of a single mother while discussing her role in drama series Joan

Sophie Turner opened up about her struggles as a single mother and how she found strength in her role in Joan to help her through her divorce from Joe Jonas. In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, published Sunday, September 29, the actress opened up about single motherhood:

"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 really important for kids to see just how hard parents work for them."

The actress also talked about how society's views on single mothers haven't changed much since the 1980s. She said that mothers are "shamed" whether they choose to go to work or become stay-at-home mothers.

Sophie Turner added that playing the titular character in Joan "gave [her] a lot of strength" amid her divorce from Joe Jonas. She said that the character changed her "quite a lot."

Turner plays the character of Joan Hannington, who is a single mother and a notorious jewel thief in the 1980s. She turns to a life of crime in hopes of supporting herself and her kid. The 6-part crime drama launches on ITV1 and ITVX in the UK on Sunday, September 29, 2024.

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Sophie Turner said being a mother helped her bring energy into her Joan character

Elsewhere in her The Sunday Times interview, Sophie Turner talked in depth about her character in the latest ITV crime drama and how being a single mother helped her bring justice to the character. She said:

"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."

The Game of Thrones actress also opened up about how her Joan character gave her support "a lot of strength" and how the series came at the perfect time in her life when she needed ambition and strength. She explained:

"From utter desperation comes so much will and ambition. 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."

Sophie Turner and her ex-husband, Joe Jonas, were involved in legal disputes over the custody of their two daughters. The former couple has since finalized their divorce and, in October 2023, they shared a joint statement about it.

The gist is that the former couple has agreed that both their kids, Willa and Delphine, who are now four and two years old, respectively, will "spend time equally in loving homes in both the US and the UK."

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Sophie Turner's Joan, a dramatized story based on the real-life crimes of Joan Hannington, aka "The Godmother," will premiere on The CW for the US audience on Tuesday, October 2, 2024, following its early release in the UK.

The 6-part limited series also features Harry Potter star Frank Dillane, Mia Millichamp-Long, Kirsty Curtis, and more. Anna Symon, whose writing credits include Deep Water and The Essex Serpent, created the story for television, and Him & Her's Richard Laxton directs the series.