Cover image via Josephine Gillan
Josephine Gillan, known as the red-headed courtesan named Marei on the HBO show, "Game of Thrones", actually accepted the role as a prostitute to escape from the dark world of prostitution!
"Game Of Thrones saved me from a life of prostitution, and has made me a much stronger person. 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," said Gillan in an interview with [Daily Mail] (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3625594/Game-Thrones-rescued-prostitution-giving-role-yes-prostitute.html#ixzz4Am6GxYvE).
The 27-year-old is now in demand as a serious actress even though she had no professional training when she started the show, according to Daily Mail
Image via Daily Mail
"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," said Gillan.
But, behind the rough surface lies her true story.
She told the Daily Mail that her childhood experiences left her feeling unworthy that made her turn to prostitution to earn a living. She suffered a childhood corrupted by sex abuse, alcohol and class-A drugs.
"They put me in a household where I was groomed by a family friend, who gave me cannabis and alcohol when I was 12 and got me hooked on cocaine when I was 14. He raped me two years later and then pimped me out to his friends. I was too frightened to tell anyone because he threatened to bury me in the garden if I did. He said he'd done it before and I believed him."
Today, she is one of the longest surviving characters in the series and has been signed up for series seven, which begins filming later this year
In the series, she will return as if from the dead having last been seen being dragged by religious militants from the best brothel in King's Landing at the close of series five.
But happily, For Josephine, there will be no dramatic resurrection of Sophie O'Brien the prostitute and porn star, who is now finished for good.
Image via Les Wilson
