‘Trust’ Interview: Sophie Turner and Director Carlson Young

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Sophie Turner and director Carlson Young about their work on ‘Trust’, Turner’s first reaction to the screenplay, her approach to the role, the themes Young wanted to explore with the movie, and the challenges of directing a dog.

Related Article: ‘Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner in Talks to Be Lara Croft for Prime Video’s ‘Tomb Raider’ Series

Sophie Turner in ‘Trust’. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

Moviefone: To begin with, Sophie, what was your first reaction to reading the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of your character that you were excited to explore on screen?

Sophie Turner: I mean, my initial reaction reading the screenplay was like, is there a higher power that has dropped this into my lap? Because it felt like it came at the perfect time in my life to get some anger out, and it was so cathartic. The thing I was so excited to play was, I mean, there are so many elements that she’s so multifaceted, but there’s the motherhood element I was incredibly excited to play, but it was more her journey. I mean, it’s so extensive this arc that she goes on throughout this movie, and I don’t think there’s one emotion that we didn’t explore or one kind of challenge that we didn’t take. Then it was also just the physical aspect of it that I was so excited to play. The fact that I’d never done any sort of thriller in my life. So, that was something that I’d never done before and I was just excited to be vulnerable and bring so much of my own stuff into it. I think that’s what I was the most excited about.

MF: Carlson, as a director what were the themes you wanted to explore and what did you want to say with this film?

Carlson Young: I wanted to explore so many things. I wanted to explore how the universe has this way of putting things in front of you and that we will keep colliding with patterns until we change the story. It had this contained survival thriller aspect of it on the surface, but I saw something much deeper. When I met Sophie as a creative partner, it just made sense to me. She had a bravery and a fearlessness and the way that she spoke about the material, I knew that it was a creative kindred spirit, and I could not have made this movie with anyone else. I can say that cosmically.

Billy Campbell in ‘Trust’. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

MF: Just to follow up, you said that there was something “much deeper” to the screenplay than just a survival thriller. What do you mean by that?

CY: That there’s a predator through line and it was important for me to take the power away from them, from that narrative, to tell the full story about what it means to be a mother, to accept that responsibility, to accept a child with someone who is a perpetrator of your deepest trauma. Oh, there was a lot and fighting your way through that, and absolutely facing that challenge and being brave and everything kind of working out in the end because of that bravery. You’re rewarded for that bravery in a sense. There’s a freedom that comes.

MF: Sophie, can you talk about where Lauren is personally, emotionally and mentally when we meet her at the beginning of the movie? What is her mindset when she arrives at the house?

ST: When she arrives there at this mansion, we’ve all been in that place where I think, or at least I have so many times where you’re so overwhelmed that you are paralyzed, and you genuinely don’t know what to do about it. I think she’s in that stage where she can’t think in a straight line. She can’t think logically. She can’t see the forest for the trees. It is an existential crisis, basically, her coming and arriving at this place. I think in earlier drafts of the scripts, there was mention of, maybe I just want to walk into the woods and let the woods swallow me up. I think there’s a full chance that she was going to that place to go and commit suicide. There’s a chance that she was going there to just get some rest away from the world. But I think she’s almost inside, totally catatonic. It’s not a good place to be in. But also, again, there’s a relief to be there and a relief to be away from all of this. So, it was balancing all those things at once. I think so many times she’s sitting outside watching the trees blow in the wind, and then suddenly, she gets this feeling of, “Oh my God, I’m so overwhelmed I don’t know what to do with my body.” So, you need to go. I think she’s just all over the place, basically.

Katey Sagal in ‘Trust’. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

MF: Carlson, what is like directing a dog?

CY: I love Georgie. Let’s talk about the dog. It’s such an element of light, I think, in the face of that existential crisis that she’s going through. There’s a friend just before she steps off the edge. Her name was Penga and she was an incredible performer. She was good and it was a joy to work with her. They say don’t work with kids and dogs. We did have both, and I can report a really good experience with that. She was dialed. She could hit her mark.

MF: Sophie, did you enjoy working with Penga and can you talk about how Georgie helps save Lauren in more than one way?

Sophie Turner: You’re so right. Georgie’s like, he grounds her. I think later, when eventually Georgie runs or gets kicked out, literally, then the grounding force becomes her baby, her unborn child. So, it’s nice to have that grounding theme throughout the show and that grounding thing, because otherwise, I don’t know if Lauren would’ve made it out of that room without having that.

Sophie Turner in ‘Trust’. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

MF: Finally, Sophie, your character is isolated through much of the movie, and it is a physically and mentally demanding role. Can you talk about the challenges of playing this character?

ST: I mean, to be honest, it wasn’t a challenge. It really fed into the performance. It was all so useful to basically shoot. I mean, I think there were maybe two or three scenes where, maybe more than that, but most of my scenes were on my own. So that isolation, you do feel it and the set was practical. We were in a very small room shooting that, and I’m really breaking the walls and I’m really scratching at the wallpaper and really being covered in these horrible cockroaches. So, because of the practicality of it all, it made it so much easier to step into that world. But again, it’s a challenge for me. I don’t really do that, or I haven’t really done that much physical stuff in my career before this. So, it was something totally new and different and I loved every minute of it.

Sophie Turner in ‘Trust’. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

What is the plot of ‘Trust’?

After a scandal, a Hollywood starlet (Sophie Turner) retreats to a remote cabin—but she’s not alone. Betrayed by the man she trusted most; she’s trapped in a brutal game of survival. She can hide, but she can’t run.

Who is in the cast of ‘Trust’?

‘Trust’ opens in theaters on August 22nd. Photo: Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

List of Sophie Turner Movies:

Buy Tickets: ‘Trust’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Sophie Turner Movies on Amazon