Sophie Turner On The ‘Game Of Thrones’ Rape Scene: ‘I Kinda Loved It’
Warning: This article contains Game Of Thrones spoilers.
A tidal wave of backlash is washing over the internet, following Sunday night’s Game Of Thrones episode. Entitled “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” the Game of Thrones episode in question included the rape of Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner). Stark marries Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), aligning herself with the family that controls The North, her former home, and, as a consequence of the union, she finds herself at Bolton’s mercy.
The Game of Thrones scene affected no two people the same and many viewers felt compelled to voice their outrage via social media with Twitter being the primary outlet for their frustrations. Here are just a few examples of the responses to this particularly brutal Game Of Thrones episode.
Ok, I’m done Game of Thrones.Water Garden, stupid.Gratuitous rape scene disgusting and unacceptable.It was a rocky ride that just ended.
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) May 19, 2015
Ok this is never meant to happen to Sansa Stark. @GameOfThrones is about to lose me. #TheNorthRemembers #GameofThrones — Jamie Tarabay (@jamietarabay) May 18, 2015
Note: FURY ROAD is an R-rated movie w/ a sexual slaver villain yet Miller & co. didn’t feel the need to include a rape scene. #GameOfThrones
— Saladin Ahmed (@saladinahmed) May 18, 2015
Sophie Turner, on the other hand, was intrigued upon reading the script for the scene in this week’s Game Of Thrones episode. It surely didn’t come as a surprise to the Game Of Thrones actress, probably because she had already recognized the character of Ramsay Bolton as someone capable of inflicting just as much abuse and humiliation.
“When I read that scene, I kinda loved it. I love the way Ramsay had Theon watching. It was all so messed up,” Turner said in an Entertainment Weekly interview. “It’s also so daunting for me to do it. I’ve been making [producer Bryan Cogman] feel so bad for writing that scene: ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!’ But I secretly loved it.”
Game Of Thrones fans familiar with George R.R. Martin’s book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, on which the HBO series is based, will nod in agreement with the knowledge that the rape scene does not exist in the books. However, Ms. Turner thinks the book actually delivers a worse fate to Ramsay’s new bride.
“Doesn’t Theon join in or something? Yeah, like, thank God that didn’t happen!”
For the record, George R.R. Martin fully supports HBO and Game Of Thrones creators in their ambition to adapt his “extremely lengthy and exceedingly complex” novels for television. He also reminds fans that they are watching fictional characters in fictional scenarios.
“There have been differences between the novels and the television show since the first episode of season one. And for just as long, I have been talking about the butterfly effect. Small changes lead to larger changes lead to huge changes.”
The next episode of Game Of Thrones, “The Gift,” airs Sunday, May 24, on HBO.
[Featured image: courtesy of HBO/Game Of Thrones]
