Lately, in light of the Time’s Up movement and Hollywood’s apparent interest in making sure women and people of color get more representation, there has been a vocal segment of film fans that say, “Actors and filmmakers should be hired based on their talent alone, and not because of diversity.” A silly statement that misses the point completely, but alas, that’s the hill these folks want to die on. But what would those people say when confronted with the news that Sophie Turner was hired for a role based on her social media base and not on her talent?
In an interview with Porter (via the Telegraph), the “Game of Thrones” star, who will next be seen in the upcoming ill-advised ‘X-Men’ film “Dark Phoenix,” revealed that she landed a job on an unnamed project based solely on the number of followers she has on her various social media accounts and not on her talent. How does she know this? Well, she is self-aware, and humble, enough to understand that the female that was up for the same role was “far better” than she is.
“A lot of what I have achieved is about timing and luck, but it is also, and I hate to say it, about a big social-media following,” said Turner.
She continued, “I auditioned for a project and it was between me and another girl who is a far better actress than I am, far better, but I had the followers, so I got the job. It’s not right, but it is part of the movie industry now.”
What film is she referring to? We’re not quite sure. It’s difficult to figure out because the actress rose to prominence thanks to “Game of Thrones,” which happens to be her first major role. Seemingly every project she landed after ‘Thrones’ is at least partially due to her popularity on the show.
READ MORE: ‘Dark Phoenix’ Trailer: The X-Men’s Deadliest Foe Is Jean Grey
However, as she states, this is far from an ideal scenario, and one that shows that Hollywood isn’t totally out to find the best person for each and every job. Sometimes, it comes down to how many social media followers the person has. Might explain why Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson seems to be in every film. Let’s just hope the Kardashians aren’t poised to take over the film industry in the future.
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