Here’s proof that HBO’s fantasy series Game of Thrones is literally life-changing.
The drama, based on George R.R. Martin’s best-selling book series, has received plenty of hate over the years thanks to its graphic sex scenes and unabashed approach to nudity (especially when it comes to its female characters). While we’re still on board for equal-representation in the full frontal department (Jon Snow’s resurrected bum-shot just doesn’t cut it), it’s good to remember that though the show sometimes does a disservice to its female characters, the same can’t be said for the actresses it casts.
One such case involves newcomer Josephine Gillan who you might recognize as the red-headed courtesan Marei recently dragged from her life at the brothel by the High Sparrow and his religious band of freaks. Marei has been a fixture on Game Of Thrones from the beginning — we first met her in the show’s second season as a fledgling prostitute being taught how to fake an orgasm — with her most famous scene being the time she performed an in-the-buff standing split while auditioning for a threesome with Prince Oberyn Martell (may he rest in peace) and his longtime lover.
Most people would gawk at being fully nude, save a conveniently placed modesty patch, while filming a show viewed by millions of people around the world, but for Gillan, playing a prostitute on TV has helped her escape being one in real life.
The 26 year-old actress told The Daily Mail she had been forced into a life of prostitution at an early age before she saw a website ad that ended up changing her life:
I was working as a whore and at the same time making X-rated movies, using the name Sophie O’Brien, when I saw an advert on a website for actresses in the film industry.
They were looking for young women with natural breasts and no tattoos, who didn’t mind being filmed naked. So I immediately sent in a picture. They wrote back that they wanted me and I was thrilled because it was an amazing opportunity to do some proper acting. But I had no idea how much it would change my life.
Gillan revealed she suffered from a traumatic childhood, constantly moving as her mother tried to flee an abusive relationship. She was exposed to drugs and alcohol after a family friend got her hooked on cocaine at the age of 14 before raping her and pimping her out to his friends.
“I was too frightened to tell anyone because he threatened to bury me in the garden if I did,” she said. “He said he’d done it before and I believed him.”
It was her casting on Game of Thrones that eventually helped her leave a life of prostitution behind. Though the actress often finds herself nude in front of the camera, she says the environment on the GoT set is completely professional and supportive. In fact, thanks to her experience in the real world, she’s often more comfortable than her male counterparts when it comes to those sex scenes.
The reality is that the male actors are so uncomfortable doing sex scenes that I can usually feel them shaking nervously under me.I think they suffer from performance anxiety, because they are almost naked and there are usually about 30 crew members on set. They didn’t need to show me how to do anything because that’s how I earned my living.
Gillan hopes her role on GoT can open even more doors in the acting world — she’s already booked two more indie films and is gearing up to star in a horror mystery. Whatever the future holds, she’s got some pretty great stories to tell — flirting with Charles Dance over afternoon tea and listening to Kit Harington complain about getting his hair dyed in the make-up trailer top the list.
All jokes aside, Gillan’s experience is a nice reminder that Cinderella stories still exist in Hollywood and that art has the power to actually save lives. Oh, and if you’re uneasy watching the actors on the show get down in their birthday suits, here’s her advice.
“Watch the entertainment and enjoy. Or don’t if you’re too prudish.’
(Via The Daily Mail)
