‘Game of Thrones’ Star Opens Up About Leaving Acting Behind and Why She Has No Regrets

Hannah Murray, known for playing Gilly in Game of Thrones, has spoken honestly about why she walked away from acting and why she feels better now that she has stepped out of the industry. The information comes from her interview with The Guardian, published on May 23, along with details from her upcoming memoir The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness.

Murray, now 36, said that being famous at a young age felt overwhelming. She also admitted she often felt guilty for not feeling more grateful about her success. Over time, those feelings became harder to manage, especially as her public profile grew after Skins became a major hit in the UK and the US.

She explained that today she feels much more at peace with her decision to leave acting. She said, “Thank God I don’t act any more,” and added that thinking about not being an actor brings her “a real surge of joy.”

Murray first decided she wanted to act when she was a child, and she landed her breakthrough role in Skins when she was still a teenager. She was cast as Cassie on her 17th birthday and quickly became part of a show that launched several major careers, including Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel, and Daniel Kaluuya.

Even while studying at university, Murray continued working in film and television. She described that time as exhausting, as she was constantly traveling for auditions while also trying to keep up with her studies. As her fame grew, she said the attention became hard to process.

She also spoke about the pressure that came with her character Cassie’s storyline, which dealt with eating disorders. Murray said she became addicted to reading online reactions and found much of it painful. She said, “It was horrible, like the sewer of the internet; for every person saying my body was ‘thinspiration,’ there was someone else saying: ‘She’s disgusting.’”

Later, after joining Game of Thrones as Gilly, she experienced even more public attention. Around that time, Murray said she was struggling personally, dealing with drinking, drugs, and unstable relationships. She also spoke about feeling stuck in a cycle where acting roles gave her short bursts of validation, but never lasting confidence.

She said, “That was a big factor of being an actor: being chosen for a role makes you feel incredibly special. But it lasts only for that project.”

Murray was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, something she said brought her relief because it helped her understand her emotions more clearly. She also revealed that her personal struggles led her into what she describes as a wellness cult, which she writes about in her memoir.

Her upcoming book, The Make-Believe, covers those experiences in detail. She told PEOPLE in January that writing it took seven years and helped her take back control of her own story. She said, “I’ve felt empowered to be telling my own story and reclaiming my own narrative.”

Her last acting role was in the 2018 film Charlie Says. Since then, she has not returned to acting and says she has no regrets about stepping away.

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