Think about how much time you spend on your phone looking through the Instagram and Twitter feeds of your favourite stars. Though it may seem like another part of your daily routine, it turns out that your interest in an actress' daily life might actually be contributing to Hollywood's casting decisions.
Game of Thrones goddess Sophie Turner recently opened up to Porter magazine about stepping into the spotlight at a young age and how her role as Sansa Stark has impacted her acting career. While we know Turner can act — honestly, it takes someone with incredible skill and patience not to flip out while watching Joffrey torture his kingdom, even if it is on set — she told Porter that there are actresses more skilled than she is, but that she's landed roles because she has more social media followers, largely thanks to her GoT success.
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"A lot of what I have achieved is about timing and luck, but it is also, and I hate to say it, about a big social media following," she told Porter. "I auditioned for a project and it was between me and another girl who is a far better actress than I am, far better, but I had the followers, so I got the job. It's not right, but it is part of the movie industry now."
As The Telegraph points out, Turner does boast an impressive online presence, with 1.35 million Twitter followers, 5.4 million Instagram followers, and 2 million Facebook followers.
Though casting people based on the number of internet fans they have may be controversial, we can see why directors would want to employ someone who has a lot of influence; it's easy advertising for them. Vanity Fair reports that robust social media followings have been huge for actors like Kevin Hart, who can charge studios every time they ask him to promote a project, and Vin Diesel, who can nab exclusive trailers for his Facebook page.
If nothing else, it also means we'll be seeing more of Turner. Nothing wrong with that.