Current:Home > MyMatt Smith criticizes trigger warnings in TV and 'too much policing of stories'-LoTradeCoin
Matt Smith criticizes trigger warnings in TV and 'too much policing of stories'
View Date:2024-12-23 18:57:10
Matt Smith isn't totally on board with trigger warnings.
The "House of the Dragon" star, 41, in an interview with The Times expressed disapproval of trigger warnings, which alert TV viewers to the presence of disturbing content like sexual violence.
"Isn't being shocked, surprised, stirred the point?" the actor asked. "Too much policing of stories and being afraid to bring them out because a climate is a certain way is a shame. I'm not sure I'm on board with trigger warnings."
The "Doctor Who" star added, "I used to go to a local video shop and get 'Slither,' 'Basic Instinct,' 'Disclosure' — all these erotic thrillers. I was way too young to be watching them. I watched 'Friday the 13th' when I was 9. Actually, that scarred me. Absolutely ruined me."
Smith, who stars as the morally grey Daemon Targaryen on HBO's "Game of Thrones" prequel series, also told the U.K. outlet that he enjoys playing polarizing characters because "we should be telling morally difficult stories, nowadays in particular."
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"It's OK to feel uncomfortable or provoked while looking at a painting or watching a play, but I worry everything's being dialled and dumbed down," he said. "We're telling audiences they're going to be scared before they've watched something."
The practice of adding trigger warnings has become more common on TV in recent years to note the inclusion of specific kinds of content that may be disturbing for victims of trauma. Earlier this year, an episode of the Netflix series "Baby Reindeer" that featured a sexual assault opened by warning about "depictions of sexual violence which some viewers may find troubling."
'House of the Dragon'Season 3 is coming: What we know so far
The Zoë Kravitz thriller "Blink Twice," meanwhile, recently opened with a trigger warning noting that the movie features scenes of sexual assault. This warning was also released on social media by Amazon MGM Studios.
"While this is a fictionalized movie, it contains mature themes and depictions of violence — including sexual violence," the studio's warning stated. "This may be upsetting or triggering for some viewers."
On the flip side, the Blake Lively film "It Ends With Us" recently faced criticism for not issuing a similar trigger warning alerting viewers to the presence of domestic violence in the movie.
'House of the Dragon'star Matt Smith on why his character Daemon loses his swagger
"By glossing over its domestic violence content in the film's marketing, and by not providing any content warnings prior to the start of the film, 'It Ends With Us' ultimately fails the survivors it is supposed to advocate for," Bridgette Stumpf, executive director of Network for Victim Recovery of DC, wrote in The Hollywood Reporter.
"This is not to say that we shouldn't depict domestic violence on film," Stumpf argued. "We should, but we should provide proper warnings to viewers prior to the opening credits to ensure that any survivor of trauma who would like to leave, can. This is something routinely done on TV shows, and should be adopted for movies, because when we have survived a traumatic experience like domestic violence, and we see similar stimuli in the future we don't just remember our own experience, we relive it."
In 2022, the first episode of "House of the Dragon" also received some backlash for not including a trigger warning about a graphic, violent scene where a woman dies in childbirth.
"I'm not seeing this discussed a bunch but in case you haven't seen 'House of the Dragon' yet: EXTREMELY BIG TRIGGER WARNING for a very violent and traumatic birth scene," YouTuber Kristin Chirico said at the time.
Chirico added, "If you still don't know that trigger warnings are a tool to prevent people from re-traumatizing themselves with something specific to their trauma, I truly cannot make you learn, go with god, if you're not in the category of affected people then this isn't your business anyway."
veryGood! (79)
Related
- What Republicans are saying about Matt Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general
- Horoscopes Today, February 7, 2024
- Mexico overtakes China as the leading source of goods imported to US
- Here's What Skincare Teens and Tweens Should Actually Be Using, According to a Dermatologist
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight odds will shift the longer the heavyweight bout goes
- Russian court orders arrest of bestselling writer after he was pranked into expressing support for Ukraine on phone call
- Florida asks state Supreme Court to keep abortion rights amendment off the November ballot
- Mandy Moore Confesses Getting Married at 24 Took Her Down “Hollow, Empty” Path
- Taylor Swift gifts 7-year-old '22' hat after promising to meet her when she was a baby
- 'It's not rocket science': NFL turf debate rages on although 92% of players prefer grass
Ranking
- Channing Tatum Drops Shirtless Selfie After Zoë Kravitz Breakup
- Former Alabama coach Nick Saban joining ESPN as analyst on 'College GameDay'
- Military helicopter missing with 5 US Marines on board after leaving Nevada
- 'A Quiet Place: Day One' trailer reveals Lupita Nyong'o as star: Release date, cast
- Daniele Rustioni to become Metropolitan Opera’s principal guest conductor
- Erika Jayne Can't Escape Ex Tom Girardi's Mess in Tense Bet It All on Blonde Trailer
- Tony Pollard defends Dak Prescott as quarterback of Dallas Cowboys amid extra pressure
- Tish Cyrus encouraged Billy Ray Cyrus to star on 'Hannah Montana' to keep family 'together'
Recommendation
-
Trump hammered Democrats on transgender issues. Now the party is at odds on a response
-
Miami Heat's Haywood Highsmith involved in car crash where others were injured
-
Santa Anita postpones Friday’s card in wake of historic rains in Southern California
-
Nick Saban joining ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ road show
-
Queen Elizabeth II's Final 5-Word Diary Entry Revealed
-
Pod of orcas seen trapped by thick sea ice off northern Japan believed to be free
-
The Georgia House has approved a $5 billion boost to the state budget
-
1000-lb Sisters' Tammy Slaton Shares She Was Suicidal Prior to Weight Loss Transformation