Game of Thrones cast a former prostitute and changed her life forever.
Game of Thrones is life changing. The drama, based on George R.R. Martin’s best-selling book series, has received a lot of criticism for it’s nudity and graphic sex scenes but, it has also changed the lives for some of the actresses appearing on the show. One such case involves actress Josephine Gillian, who you might recognize as the red-headed prostitute Marei who is dragged from her life at the brothel by the High Sparrow and his religious freaks. Marei has been a major character on Game of Thrones from the start of the show. In fact, she first appeared in the second season as a prostitute who is taught how to fake an orgasm.
Most people would hate being fully nude, while filming a show viewed by millions of people around the world, but for Gillian, playing a prostitute on TV has helped her escape being one in real life.
The 26-year-old actress told reporters she had been forced into a life of human trafficking at an early age before she saw a casting call that changed 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 very traumatic childhood moving frequently as her mother tried to runaway from an abusive relationship. She was exposed to drugs and alcohol while she was only 14 years old. Then, she was pimped out and raped by a family friend.
“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.”
However, it was her casting on Game of Thrones that eventually helped her leave a life of prostitution behind. Though the actress often finds her self nude in front of the camera, she says the environment on the Game of Thrones set is completely professional and supportive.
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 that her role on Game of Thrones will lead to more acting jobs. She has already booked two additional indie movies and is ramping up production to star in a horror mystery movie.
At the end of the day, Gillan’s experience shows that Hollywood and the film industry can change lives and make dreams come true.
Via Daily Mail
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