Meet the actress who almost played Sansa Stark on Game of Thrones

Sophie Turner Game of Thrones

(Image credit: rex)

Spoiler alert: she looks very similar to Sophie Turner...

We’re now seven seasons deep in the Game of Thrones world, and through all of the plot twists, revelations, murders, resurrections etc etc, we’ve become pretty attached to the GOT cast. So much so, the thought of any one else playing our beloved Game of Thrones characters is all a bit too much for our fragile, post-programme sensibilities.

For example, Danny Dyer could have played the Night's Watch recruit, Pypar. Sadly, before Danny was given the chance to bring his special brand of sportswear north of the Wall, he was rejected (three times) by the casting directors who opted for the safer option of Josef Altin. Poor Danny.

But imagine someone else playing fan favourite Sansa Stark? According to The Huffington Post, this could have easily been a non Sophie Turner reality.

British actress, Izzy Meikle-Small almost won the role of Lady Sansa, making it to the final two during the audition process, along with Sophie Turner, who, rubbish spoiler alert, got the part.

‘I got to the final two to play Lady Sansa Stark,’ Izzy told The Huffington Post. ‘I was a bit sad, because the show’s massive, but I’m not that unhappy, because they all show a lot of flesh, don’t they? I don’t think my parents would be happy.’

Looking back at Sansa’s character development and transformation over the past few seasons – especially season five and six - we really can’t imagine anyone else playing the role other than Sophie Turner, but judging by these pictures of Izzy Meikle-Small, the GOT casting bunch had a very definite look in mind for Sansa Stark.

Uncanny, right?

Anyway, Game of Thrones aside, Izzy is still acting (she played a younger version of Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman and a younger version of Carey Mulligan in Never Let Me Go) and is currently repping for all the students out with this extremely pertinent tweet. We hear you Izzy, we hear you.

Holly Rains is the digital editor of Marie Claire UK. She has over 10 years journalism experience, working as an editor and writer, specialising in digital media, content strategy and dog breeds. Prior to Marie Claire, she has held senior staff positions at ELLE UK, Grazia and Company magazine.

Holly is a frequent speaker, panelist and interviewer on a range of subjects including media trends, careers and entertainment. From working with Reuters to provide global red carpet coverage for events like the BAFTAs, to discussing fashion and beauty trends on network TV, she was also the host of the Marie Claire series ‘Holly’s First Dates’, where she regularly interviewed a mix of inspiring woman and A-list celebrities (including Jack Black, Dakota Fanning and Renée Zellweger) - a series which garnered half a million views in its first two months. And was approved by The Rock.

Her love of office-based meetings means that the days of discovering the melting point of Cadbury's Flakes are long gone, but when she isn't dreaming of scheduling in meetings, she likes to think about social media, and how best to avoid it whilst still retaining the title of 'digital' editor. She also likes learning about emerging technology, Influencers and how to become a Financially Responsible Adult.

Contact Holly: holly.rains@futurenet.com