Sophie Turner is embracing a very different kind of role with her upcoming streaming series, Steal, describing her character as someone who is far from having life figured out. “She’s a bit of a mess,” the actor admitted as per a report on IANS, as she spoke about stepping into unfamiliar creative territory.

Best known for poised, often period-set characters surrounded by castles, corsets and control, Turner shifts gears with the contemporary thriller, which sees her play Zara, an everyday office employee whose routine existence unravels after she is drawn into a risky and unexpected criminal situation.

What attracted Turner to the project, she explained, was precisely how unlike her previous work it felt. “I think it was the fact that I hadn’t really done anything like this before,” she said, noting that she usually gravitates towards period stories. “This is very current. Zara, my character, is a bit of a mess, and I don’t know if I’ve ever played someone who doesn’t have their shit together quite as much as she doesn’t.”

Turner added that the chance to explore Zara’s chaos was both challenging and enjoyable. The show, she said, balances humour with emotion and is anchored by a strong friendship at its centre. “It’s funny; there’s a beautiful friendship at the core of the story, and it’s so multifaceted that I really couldn’t say no,” she said.

Steal is directed by Sam Miller and Hettie Macdonald, with writing by Poppy Cogan and Shyam Popat. Alongside Turner, the series features Archie Madekwe, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Ellie James, Tomisin Ajani, Harry Michell, Sarah Belcher, Andrew Koji, Jonathan Slinger, Yusra Warsama and Anastasia Hille.

The series is executive produced by Rebecca De Souza and Greg Brenman, produced by Nuala O'Leary, and backed by Amazon MGM Studios and Drama Republic. Steal is set to premiere on Prime Video on January 21.