Sansa Stark’s character is a flashpoint for fans of the series—both in the books and on the screen. Early on, many fans didn’t think much of Sansa, a fact actress Sophie Turner has always been up front about in interviews. It didn’t help that book-readers came in predisposed to dislike the character—many people familiar with A Game of Thrones will agree that, on the page, Sansa’s responsibility for Ned’s arrest is far more clear cut. Also, her inner thoughts can border on grating, due to how naive she is about the way of the world. Like Theon, the fact that we don’t hear Sansa’s thoughts on the show softens her edges a bit.
But, as Entertainment Weekly points out, in the last couple of seasons, Sansa’s stock has been on the rise. And in talking to EW about the coming season, Turner says that fans now come up to her and tell her they like her character, which did not use to be the case. “I’ve had more people saying, ‘You’re my favorite character’ than ever before, which is amazing, because I used to get ‘You’re my least favorite character.’”
"She’s definitely got a fan base now, and they’re rallying behind her. Finally people see Sansa how I see her."
That desire to rally behind Sansa is part of why there was such an outsized reaction to her wedding night scene last season. People wanted to believe the character was morphing into Darth Sansa, and that she had finally entered the Great Game, as her estranged husband calls it in the first Season 6 trailer. But for every step forward, there are two steps back. And that was hard for fans to accept. However, in Season 6, things may finally be different. “Sophie really delivers this season,” said Game of Thrones showrunner Dan Weiss. “She’s an extremely phenomenal actor, and this year she gets to go to places she’s never gone.”
Perhaps, after losing her innocence and jumping from the walls of Winterfell at the end of Season 5, Sansa will finally go from being a pawn to being a queen, as many fans have wanted. Certanly Turner sees the character as having reached a turning point. “This is the season I’m most excited for. Sansa’s coming into her own and standing up for herself.”