HBO's Game of Thrones was often accused to overemphasising, and sometimes even sensationalising the darker aspects of George R.R. Martin's novels, and the rape of Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) by the twisted Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) in the Season 5 episode Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken, in particular, stirred up a lot of controversy.
The showrunners were criticized by many who believed they were using sexual violence as a plot device, and found the scene to be unnecessary. Others defended the disturbing sequence, noting that this reprehensible act was very much in keeping with Bolton's character.
During a new interview with Metro, Rheon was asked for his take on the scene and the backlash it recieved now that several years have passed.
"That was horrible. Nobody wanted to be there," he admitted. "Nobody wants to do that, but if it’s telling a story then you have to tell it truthfully. They didn’t sensationalise it or anything. It was very, very hard watching. It’s a horrible thing that happens, unfortunately, and it shouldn’t be. 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 something like that where you’re in the actual reality of the situation is very difficult to deal with. It was a horrible, horrible day."
You might argue that Game of Thrones depicted worse things (infanticide, for example) over the course of its 8-season run, but the harrowing rape of a well-loved character did seem to stand out, as the show had lost a whopping 1 million viewers by the time the next episode aired.
What did you guys make of the scene? Did you think the controversy was warranted? Let us know in the comments.