Sophie Turner bounces back from divorce by playing 'mum, lover, liar and thief'

Game of Thrones prima Sophie Turner is backmost to the tiny surface with a caller relation arsenic Joan Harrington, the notorious jewel thief known to 1980s London arsenic The Godmother for ITV

She stole scenes successful Game of Thrones and the X-Men movies but Sophie Turner says playing real-life jewel thief Joan Hannington is her biggest thrill yet.

In ITV’s Joan, she plays the teen mum who became the astir notorious pistillate successful London’s criminal underworld successful the 1980s, earning her the nickname The Godmother.

“She is truthful comic but she has gone done truthful overmuch trauma and is truthful ambitious,” Sophie says. “There truly is truthful overmuch to her – mother, lover, liar, thief. It’s conscionable singular that it’s each a existent story.”

The play follows Joan arsenic she escapes her convulsive hubby but has to spot her girl into attraction arsenic she gets backmost connected her feet. With nary wealth and obscurity to live, she manages to unafraid a occupation successful a jewellers, from wherever she steals her archetypal diamonds.

Her beingness takes a crook for the amended erstwhile she meets antiques trader Boisie, played by Harry Potter histrion Frank Dillane, who takes her connected arsenic a spouse successful crime.

Sophie volition person recovered the relation particularly poignant arsenic it was filmed during her divided from US singing prima Joe Jonas, with whom she has 2 young daughters. Their plans to divorcement sparked a custody battle, present resolved, implicit four-year-old Willa and her one-year-old sister Delphine.

Earlier this week, Sophie confirmed her caller narration with British ­aristocrat Peregrine Pearson.

It’s nary astonishment that the actress, known for playing Sansa Stark successful Game of Thrones and a young Jean Grey successful the X-Men series, had nary trouble turning connected the tears for Joan’s astir utmost moments. “I’m a Pisces. I’m precise emotional,” she explains. “And I’m a mother, truthful thing to bash with children and it conscionable flows out. I deliberation sometimes erstwhile you are doing a amusement similar this and there’s diamonds and glamour, you get swept distant by it all.”

“You person to retrieve that this is to supply a coagulated and unchangeable beingness for her girl truthful she tin get her back. And it’s truly a heartbreaking story.”

Sophie says she besides had large chemistry with Frank, adding: “We became truly adjacent really during this. It was imperative that we had a bully narration and I deliberation I benignant of artistically fell successful emotion with Frank a small bit, due to the fact that the mode helium works is truthful fascinating. I truly recovered myself benignant of relying connected him for a batch of it, the benignant of affectional stuff.”

Frank says the feeling was mutual. “Sophie is truthful casual to love,” helium says. “I recovered it conscionable specified a pleasure.”

With the series’ 80s mounting being past past to Sophie, 28, she listened to Wham, ABC, The Pretenders and Bucks Fizz for 3 weeks to get into character. Writer Anna Symon says the play is each based connected Joan’s 2002 memoir I Am What I Am.

“I was captivated,” she says. “She’s specified a analyzable and bonzer woman, susceptible and strong. She makes immoderate unspeakable choices but is idiosyncratic radical tin subordinate to.”

Now aged 68 and retired from stealing, the existent Joan Hannington was thrilled by Sophie’s portrayal. At a motorboat lawsuit successful London with her lad Benny, she said: “I’m a spot jealous, she’s slimmer and younger.

“They couldn’t person got anyone amended – truthful kudos to them. I anticipation they get the designation they deserve.”

• Joan starts connected ITV1 and ITVX connected Sunday, September 29.