Trust Movie Producers Reveal Why Sophie Turner Was the Perfect Actress for the Part

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In a fresh film titled “Trust“, Sophie Turner portrays Lauren Lane, formerly a child star, now a superstar, who finds herself embroiled in a controversial scandal. Faced with mounting scrutiny and stress, she yearns for an escape and ends up at a secluded cabin. Strangely enough, her situation seems to deteriorate further.

As a cinephile, I had the opportunity to chat with the producers Miles and Oren Koules, the brilliant minds behind the camera responsible for the bone-chilling Saw series. In our conversation, they shared their compelling reasons for casting Sophie Turner as the lead in Trust, and the captivating narrative they aimed to unfurl.

Miles Koules praised Sophie Turner for being an exceptional actress, pointing out several factors that made her perfect for this role. He mentioned that she had started acting as a child and was currently dealing with a significant amount of negativity from the public, including unjust criticisms about her parenting abilities. Koules also emphasized that she was handling a very public divorce gracefully, and he admired her tremendously as a person, even calling her “the best mom he knows.

Oren Koules remarked that since the highly publicized divorce occurred just as they began filming, “the art subtly reflected real life events.”

By using the phrase “subtly reflected real life events”, we convey the same meaning while making it more natural and easy to read. The paraphrased sentence also maintains the original intention of implying that the movie’s content was inspired by or mirrored real-life events in a subtle manner.

Oren mentioned that they actually had “live cockroaches, a real rat, and real water.” Turner was eager to perform all her stunts and key scenes with these live animals. As a result, Oren proudly stated that they completed the filming almost a whole day ahead of schedule – a feat rarely achieved for a movie of this magnitude.

The full conversation can be read below. Trust hits theaters on August 22, 2025.

‘Trust’ Producers on Why Sophie Turner Was the Perfect Choice, Spotlighting Important Issues, and More

“She’s Just Such a Tremendous Actress…”

  • TopMob: “Sophie [Turner] is a great actress, obviously. But I’m curious for both of you guys, in your own words, why did you feel like she was just the perfect fit for this role?”

Miles Koules: Initially, what drew us in was her exceptional acting skills. When she interacted with the script, we were instantly captivated. Additionally, she had experience as a child actress, which added an extra layer of appeal.

A: This woman, who is a mom, frequently faces criticism online because she doesn’t often post pictures of her children. However, among my peers, she is the most wonderful mother I know. Additionally, at that time, she was going through a highly publicized divorce and likely felt the need to retreat from social media in real life.

This version maintains the original meaning while using more natural and easily readable language.

In a way, her act seemed to mirror real-life experiences, as if she translated her stage performance directly onto the movie screen. This fusion felt incredibly authentic and relatable, leaving us with a strong sense of understanding and appreciation.

As a fervent admirer, I must say that delving into a high-profile, regrettable situation – one that was intensely followed by many – which happened to coincide with a high-profile divorce, served as the backdrop when we embarked on this cinematic journey. In essence, life mirrored art in a striking fashion during those early stages of our film’s creation.

  • TopMob: “One of the first things that stuck out to me, just from the opening scenes, is the key underlying story in this is the struggles that child actors can go through in the horror stories that can come out of situations like that. Can you talk about making that central to this narrative, and why it’s so important to shine the spotlight on that?”

Miles Koules: What we aim for is to craft narratives with multiple dimensions and richness. A simple trope like a girl being chased in a cabin might offer entertainment, but it lacks depth. It doesn’t spark emotions or provide insights that audiences can take away from the experience.

We believe that incorporating themes such as female empowerment, child performers, privacy invasions, and hacking into a film significantly enhances the overall quality of the movie. Additionally, having a meaningful message within the plot makes it more engaging and not just entertaining in a frightening or amusing way.

In simpler terms, Oren Koules pointed out that it was quite remarkable that Gigi Levangie, who was married to Brian Grazer for a significant period, wrote the script. Her long-term association with Hollywood’s inner workings provided her with unique insights into the industry’s complexities. Thus, she could incorporate her personal observations… She had an abundant source of inspiration to draw from.

  • TopMob: “When it comes to the antagonist, there are actually a few angles that these things appear from. Can you talk about creating these various characters and just developing how their choices eventually affect Lauren’s story and how it all culminates?”

Initially, it’s truly fortunate that we have Billy Campbell portraying such a wretched, abhorrent character, and equally fortuitous to have an actor of Peter Mensah’s caliber playing his accomplice in her demise. The monologue Peter Mensah delivers, particularly the one about Marilyn Monroe, is simply outstanding. It was exceptional writing.

In part, it seems the antagonist could also be seen as having a business-like quality, so… There’s a line where Billy Campbell remarks, “It’s TV money!” implying that he can’t afford to lose it. The dialogue is exceptionally well crafted and powerfully delivered by the actors.

In the continuation of his discussion, Koules also touched upon the other adversaries in the movie. These were three particularly dim-witted robbers who unintentionally added more complications to Lauren’s already difficult situation, without making any particularly astute decisions along the way.

By the way, let me add this, all three of them genuinely strive to emulate successful producers, yet each one is exceptionally talented in their own right as actors. Thus, it was an interesting challenge to determine which of the three musketeers would take on which roles, given good writing. However, it’s worth noting that Rhys [Coiro], Forest [Goodluck], and Gianni [Paolp] all had a clear understanding of their unique dynamic, as they worked diligently to refine it.

With Director Carlson Young, the distinction between the three was crystal-clear; there was nothing ambiguous or confusing, like Blurred Lines. Each one stood uniquely on its own, and they all executed their roles superbly.

  • TopMob: “There’s a lot of one location DNA [in the movie], you know, you really had to work out of this one spot [as] a lot of Sophie’s performance is just from [her being stuck in the one room]. What was it like balancing that and then figuring out, okay, this is the location we’re going to spend the majority of the movie in? We want it to be engaging and interesting, give Sophie things to do, and still have audiences on the edge of their seats?”

Miles Koules: I believe we should acknowledge Carlson [Young] and our editors, especially considering the difficulty of Sophie’s performance. Performing solo in a room can be incredibly challenging, but the audience might not realize how tough it is to make it engaging and actually appreciate her scenes.

In the movie, they strike a harmonious balance by maintaining an appropriate duration of focus on her and occasionally cutting away to action outside the room, ensuring there’s no prolonged absence of either. This seamless blend keeps the narrative engaging and entertaining throughout.

Oren Koules: To clarify, Sophie, we used actual cockroaches, a real rat, and even real water. All of those elements were her creation. We had other people ready to assist, but she managed to pull off each one by herself, impressively so. I must emphasize that she did an outstanding job.

In a lower-budget movie with numerous stunts, finishing even half a day early is typically unattainable. However, she decided to take matters into her own hands and handle everything herself. She performed the cockroach scene, which any actress would find intimidating, not just one but all three aspects of it.

  • TopMob: “Now, at the end of the day, with this film, for audiences, if they just want a good double feature, what’s a good film to pair it with?”

Miles Koules suggests that if you truly delight in seeing Sophie perform in that room, then you should probably consider watching the movie ‘Room’ afterwards.

Oren Koules finds the film ‘Panic Room’ particularly captivating since it stars Kristen Stewart. In other words, he has a soft spot for this movie. To put it another way, when creating ‘Saw’ movies, they aim to have two narratives simultaneously unfolding: one taking place within the traps, and another encompassing the broader world outside of the characters’ immediate surroundings.

In essence, we borrowed the basic concept but made adjustments. There’s quite a bit happening outside of this space, like Katie Seagal and other factors. We aimed for a harmonious blend to ensure neither place leaves you feeling dull. I believe Carlson did an excellent job. So, ‘Panic Room’, as a comparison, could be apt.

Miles:  And then you watch ‘Mulholland Drive’ right after. And then you can touch on everything.

Lately, we had a conversation with Timo Tjahjanto, the director of ‘Nobody 2’, and he shed light on the distinctness of Hutch Mansell compared to John Wick.

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2025-08-21 01:38