Game Of Thrones actor Iwan Rheon: ‘Sansa rape scene was worst day of my career’
Written by News on 03/11/2020
Game Of Thrones actor Iwan Rheon has said filming a rape scene in the hit TV show was the worst day of his career.
The Welsh performer played the evil Ramsay Bolton, who raped new wife Sansa Stark, played by Sophie Turner, on their wedding night in season five.
The scene prompted a backlash from fans and critics who said it was disturbing and unnecessary.
The show, which is based on the medieval-inspired books by George RR Martin, has faced criticism for its depiction of sexual violence, its nude scenes and its treatment of women.
The 35-year-old said filming the scene was “horrible” and “nobody wanted to be there”.
He told The Metro: “It was very, very hard watching… It was the worst day of my career.
“Chopping someone’s finger off you don’t really see it, and when you’re doing like a close up, it’s a piece of plastic.
“We’re just acting, it’s not real. Then [there is] something like that where you’re in the actual reality of the situation, [it] is very difficult to deal with. It was a horrible, horrible day.”
He added: “This is something that we shouldn’t even have to worry about, because it’s something that shouldn’t exist in this world but unfortunately it does.”
The show ended last year after eight seasons.
Sophie Turner, 24, addressed the backlash herself in a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone, saying she thought it was “wrong” because “those things did happen”, referring to the medieval-inspired setting.
She said her character was empowered by the end of season six when she kills Bolton in revenge.
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Last month, another Game Of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau spoke about sexual violence in the show.
The actor, who played Jaime Lannister in the hit series, said his former co-star Emilia Clarke’s infamous rape scene in season one was “really tough and degrading” for the actress.
In the first series of Game Of Thrones, which aired in 2011, Clarke’s character Daenerys Targaryen was raped by her new husband Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa). She then went on to fall in love with him.
He told The Sunday Times: “For Emilia to play that in series one was really tough and degrading, because what that character goes through is horrific.”
(c) Sky News 2020: Game Of Thrones actor Iwan Rheon: ‘Sansa rape scene was worst day of my career’
