The very talented actor Matt Smith, best known for his work on Doctor Who and, more recently, House of the Dragon participated in an interview with The Times of London and dished out some pretty intense hot takes regarding the use of content and trigger warnings in popular media.
This opinion, despite being considered a hot take, is actually one that’s commonly held among performers located in England, with other performers, like Dame Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes, holding similar positions.
In the interview, Smith said:
It’s OK to feel uncomfortable or provoked while looking at a painting or watching a play, but I worry everything’s being dialed and dumbed down. We’re telling audiences they’re going to be scared before they’ve watched something…
Matt Smith in an interview with Times of London
The actor believes that the usage of trigger warnings is ultimately detrimental to the stories being told, and that audiences should be made uncomfortable by certain scenes, if that’s the creator’s intent. As a performer, many of Smith’s characters – especially his infamous role in House of the Dragon – perform actions that can be viewed as nefarious, or cruel. He feels as though adding warnings before audiences have the opportunity to see what these characters are truly capable of robs the audience (and in some cases, the creatives) of a genuine experience.
Fan reactions to Smith’s comments have been mixed, with some agreeing with the actor’s take on the matter, and other’s vehemently disagreeing, with some outlets, like Buzzfeed, saying that the comments reek of privilege.
Source: Movieweb
Published: Sep 5, 2024 12:35 pm