A writer and executive producer on the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon says the show will not ‘depict sexual violence’ against women despite a showrunner recently saying otherwise.
‘I’d like to clarify that we do not depict sexual violence in the show,’ writer and executive producer Sara Hess told Vanity Fair. ‘We handle one instance off-screen, and instead show the aftermath and impact on the victim and the mother of the perpetrator.’
‘I think what our show does, and what I’m proud of, is that we choose to focus on the violence against women that is inherent in a patriarchal system,’ she said in a statement to the publication.
A writer and executive producer on the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon says the show will not ‘depict sexual violence’ against women, despite a showrunner recently saying otherwise
House Of The Dragon, which will premiere August 21 on HBO Max, is based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood and tells the story of the House of Targaryen and the bitter and brutal civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. The show is not historically accurate.
‘There are many “historical” or history-based shows that romanticize powerful men in sexual/marriage relationships with women who were actually not of an age to consent, even if they were “willing,”‘ Sara continued.
‘We put that onscreen, and we don’t shy away from the fact that our female leads in the first half of the show are coerced and manipulated into doing the will of adult men.
‘This is done not necessarily by those we would define as rapists or abusers, but often by generally well-meaning men who are unable to see that what they are doing is traumatic and oppressive, because the system that they all live in normalizes it. It’s less obvious than rape but just as insidious, though in a different way.’
House Of The Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood and tells the story of the House of Targaryen and the bitter and brutal civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons
This means the subject matter of rape will be included in the show, but not in a ‘gratuitous’ manner, Vanity Fair notes.
‘In general, depicting sexual violence is tricky,’ Hess added, ‘and I think the ways we think about it as writers and creators are unique to our particular stories.’
This comes after House Of The Dragon showrunner and director Miguel Sapochnik discussed how sexual violence against women would be shown on the series.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last month, Sapochnik said production ‘pulls back’ on how much sex appears yet still gives a look into how sex was a casual part of life.
This comes after House Of The Dragon showrunner and director Miguel Sapochnik discussed how sexual violence against women would be shown on the series
‘Violence against women is still very much part of the world,’ The Hollywood Reporter wrote in the story.
Sapochnik said they approached the matter ‘carefully, thoughtfully and [we] don’t shy away from it. If anything, we’re going to shine a light on that aspect. You can’t ignore the violence that was perpetrated on women by men in that time. It shouldn’t be downplayed and it shouldn’t be glorified.’
When the blockbuster fantasy drama Game Of Thrones first aired more than a decade ago, it became known almost instantly for its violent bloodlust and frequent, gratuitous nudity.
From the very first episodes of George R. R. Martin’s eight-season epic there were graphic sex scenes, stories of rape and incest and even gory depictions of child murder.
House Of The Dragon will premiere August 21 on HBO Max
But 11 years later, times have changed – even in the fantasy land of Westeros. For House Of The Dragon, the hotly anticipated prequel to the original series, has gone fully woke, according to Hollywood insiders.
Gone are the risqué scenes of full-frontal nudity and violence that shocked and delighted audiences in equal measure. In their place are non-binary actors, a new dynasty of powerful black characters and roles that are ‘sexually fluid’ and ‘androgynous’.
In this new era, set 200 years before Game Of Thrones, it is two women who battle for the show’s Iron Throne – the seat of power that controls the disparate regions of Westeros.
And rather than subjecting female actresses to sexual violence, new post-MeToo storylines are instead designed to showcase the ‘power’ of women by featuring gory scenes of childbirth.
A Hollywood executive linked to the new series told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The original show was made before the MeToo era. Graphic sex and nudity had never been seen on television like that before. But this new series had to take on board that we live in different times. The sex is handled very differently and there is far less of it. There is way more diversity. Game Of Thrones had only a couple of black characters, and one of those was killed off in chains.’