HBO
- “Game of Thrones” actor Iwan Rheon said filming the show’s controversial rape scene from season five was the “worst day” of his career.
- During an interview with Metro, the 35-year-old actor broke down the “horrible” day on set filming the graphic scene: “Nobody wanted to be there. Nobody wants to do that, but if it’s telling a story then you have to tell it truthfully.”
- He continued: “They didn’t sensationalize it or anything. It was very, very hard watching. It’s a horrible thing that happens, unfortunately, and it shouldn’t be. It was the worst day of my career.”
- During the infamous scene, the unhinged Ramsay Bolton (played by Rheon) violently attacks Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) in front of Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen).
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“Game of Thrones” actor Iwan Rheon said the controversial rape scene from season five was the “worst day” of his career.
During an interview with Metro, the 35-year-old actor broke down the “horrible” day on set filming the graphic scene.
“That was horrible,” he said. “Nobody wanted to be there. Nobody wants to do that, but if it’s telling a story then you have to tell it truthfully.”
He continued: “They didn’t sensationalize it or anything. It was very, very hard watching. It’s a horrible thing that happens, unfortunately, and it shouldn’t be. It was the worst day of my career.”
HBO
By season five, “Game of Thrones” had built a reputation for its highly graphic depictions of extreme violence, but the rape scene from season five in which the unhinged Ramsay Bolton (played by Rheon) violently attacks Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) in front of Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) sparked an almost immediate backlash.
Former US Senator Claire McCaskill tweeted that she was "done" with the show and would no longer be watching after the graphic scene.
—Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) May 19, 2015
At the time, the episode's director Jeremy Podeswa responded to the criticism saying: "We were aware ahead of time that it was going to be disturbing but we did not expect there would be people in Congress talking about it."
Showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss also responded reassuring fans that the levels of sexual violence would be toned down by the next season of the show.
In an interview with Harper's Bazaar last year, Sophie Turner explained that the multiple episodes of assault and cruelty that her popular character Sansa Stark faced on the show inspired her to become an advocate for women's rights in real life.
"Initially, I didn't feel there was anything that stayed with me from all the things Sansa went through," Turner said. "But though I think it hasn't affected me emotionally, I did start thinking about the domestic abuse and rape, and it spurred this little part of me that might be an activist."
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