Sophie Turner is all set to step into one of pop culture’s most iconic action roles — Lara Croft — in Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming Tomb Raider series. But while fans are excited to see the former Game of Thrones star transform into the fearless adventurer, Sophie recently revealed that the intense physical preparation for the role uncovered an unexpected and ongoing health issue.
In an interview on The Julia Cunningham Show, the British actress opened up about the demanding training schedule required to portray Lara Croft. According to Sophie, her preparation began early last year and has been nothing short of grueling. “We’ve been doing eight hours a day, five days a week since February of last year, of training,” she shared, describing months of relentless workouts, combat drills, and endurance-building sessions.
However, the transformation came with a surprise. Sophie admitted that during her rigorous fitness journey, she discovered she has a chronic back condition. “I’ve learned I have a perpetual back problem,” she revealed. The actress added that building muscle from scratch proved to be far tougher than expected, especially since she had never seriously worked out before taking on this role. “It’s much easier to build muscle if you’ve ever trained before — which I never had. So it’s taken me months and months to get into good shape,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Sophie seems to be embracing the transformation wholeheartedly. Reflecting on her time as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, she joked about how different the physical demands are this time around. “I was always the one getting beaten up, not the one doing the beating,” she laughed. “So it’s quite nice to finally learn how to throw a punch instead of just taking it.”
The Tomb Raider series marks Sophie’s biggest action-driven role yet, and anticipation is high for her take on Lara Croft — a character known for strength, agility, and fearlessness. The show also boasts a star-studded cast, including Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Martin Bobb-Semple, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Bill Paterson, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, Celia Imrie, and August Wittgenstein.
Adding further buzz, the series is created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who also serves as executive producer and co-showrunner — promising a fresh and dynamic spin on the beloved franchise.
With intense training, personal health revelations, and a powerhouse creative team behind her, Sophie Turner’s Lara Croft debut is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about streaming events ahead.
