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Sophie Turner Discusses 'Game Of Thrones' Rape Scene, Says Sansa Is Strong As Ever

Sophie Turner Discusses 'Game Of Thrones' Rape Scene, Says Sansa Is Strong As Ever
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By 

Deputy Director of News & Analytics, HuffPost

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Sophie Turner seen at the Twentieth Century Fox Presentation at 2015 Comic Con on Saturday, July 11, 2015, in San Diego. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Twentieth Century Fox/AP Images)
Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP

If Sansa Stark is anything, she's strong. 

Sophie Turner discussed her "Game of Thrones" character and the Season 5 rape scene involving Sansa and new husband Ramsay Bolton while on a panel with her co-stars at Comic-Con in San Diego Saturday. The scene in question appeared in a May episode, and some viewers vowed to quit the show altogether after viewing the horrible moment. Some felt the way the gratuitous rape scene was shot -- with the camera focusing on Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) instead of Sansa -- undermined the Stark daughter, whose character arc saw her prevail and become more secure despite the many tragedies she faced. 

But on Saturday, Turner made it clear that Sansa is no less powerful than she was before. 

"[If] there's one thing that Sansa still is, despite what happened to her, [it's] strong," she said when asked by an attendee about the scene. "She’s not to blame for any of that. I really don’t know why they ... focused on Theon, because I was giving a great performance." 

She explained that life with the Boltons could spell Sansa's own death, and the scene spoke to the many facets of her character. 

“She thought it through in her head. She could have fought back if she wanted to, but she didn’t," she said. "And I think that's, you know, it's good for her character. She's one of those characters that does her scheming in her mind, not outwardly." 

Author George R.R. Martin defended HBO's choice to include the scene, which does not occur in the books, after it aired. And Turner previously said she "secretly loved" having such a "daunting" component added to the script.  

Watch the Q&A below. 

Also on HuffPost:

12 Times The Women Of 'Game Of Thrones' Were Super Fierce
(01 of13)
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For all of us die-hard "Game Of Thrones" fans, this Sunday is a sad one. The season four finale is upon us, and while it's rumored to be the best yet, Sundays without GoT are no Sundays at all.While the men of GoT are badass in their own right, from Jon Snow's daring adventures beyond the wall to Tyrion Lannister's perpetual wit (seriously, if Tyrion dies I will riot), it's the ladies who kick some serious ass -- and they don't even need a sword to do it. And although not all of the female characters are beloved (Cersei Lannister better get the "Red Wedding" treatment pronto), there's no denying that they're all impressively fierce.In honor of these killer female characters, we've put together a list of 12 times the ladies of "Game Of Thrones" were way fiercer than the men over the past four seasons:
1. When Daenerys Targaryen supported #YesAllWomen without even realizing it.(02 of13)
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2. That time Brienne of Tarth fought a bear... and lived.(03 of13)
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3. When Cersei made it clear she takes sh*t from no one. No one.(04 of13)
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4. When Daenerys ate a horse's heart like it was chicken.(05 of13)
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5. Every time Arya Stark is on screen.(06 of13)
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6. When Ygritte made it clear she can take care of herself.(07 of13)
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7. When Margery Tyrell did anything and everything to ensure her Queendom.(08 of13)
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8. When Ygritte offered Jon Snow some simple sex advice.(09 of13)
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9. That time Daenerys walked through some fire and came out with three baby dragons.(10 of13)
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10. When Olenna Tyrell alluded to possibly aiding in the killing of King Joffrey and everyone was like YES.(11 of13)
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11. When Ygritte dodged an arrow like a boss.(12 of13)
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(during "The Watchers On The Wall.")
12. Any time Melisandre manipulated a situation to get everyone to do exactly what she wanted. Teach us your ways.(13 of13)
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Go on with your bad selves, ladies.

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