HBO’s Game of Thrones is unarguably one of the most watched and followed fantasy TV shows of our time. The lore of dynasties, power, and dirty politics has garnered it a huge fandom spread across the world. However, a fandom is not all that the show has built since its inception, for it has also accumulated a fortune worth of controversy and problems due to its mature and gory themes.
Not for the faint of heart, even actress Natalie Dormer does not hold back in calling fans out for criticizing the show’s premise for being too brutal to watch. In an old interview, the actress once insisted that despite the show’s fantasy genre, it is not designed for those seeking pure escapism!
When Natalie Dormer Called Fans Out for Criticizing Game of Thrones
Natalie Dormer is known best for her sharp-witted portrayal of Margaery Tyrell in HBO’s Game of Thrones. Based on the fantasy books by George R. R. Martin, the live-action series is often called out for being too brutal and taking more than a few creative liberties with the show’s already gory premise.
While these fan reactions have been here since the start, this backlash gained momentum after the release of the show’s fifth season. The reason for this was the ‘terrible’ treatment the female characters of the show received, leading to fans and critics declaring the show as ‘misogynistic’ and more.
In an interview with The Times, addressing this censure, Dormer did not mince words when she stated,
All I know is that I turn on the news, and it’s covering a boy drowning off the coast, or children being shown beheading videos. The horror of human nature is prevalent in our world, and I appreciate that some people want to turn on the telly for escapism — but if that’s what you want, don’t watch Game of Thrones.
The actress thus challenged the notion that just because the show falls under the ‘fantasy’ spectrum, it does not necessarily mean that it was meant for simple escapism. In her words, the horrors of the real world are far more disturbing, and Game of Thrones only reflects the many complexities of human nature.
For Natalie Dormer, Art is a Way to Explore Difficult Topics from a Safe Distance
Game of Thrones is a complex drama involving bloody conflicts and intricate political schemes. The show’s exploration of power dynamics and the human psyche has often sparked intense discussions among both fans and critics. But none of these have been as intense as the discussions around the show’s brutal depiction of violence, murder, death, and violence against women, in particular.
While Natalie Dormer clapped back these fault-finding assessments of the show and fans having problems with the show being too problematic to watch, she also revealed that art, at least for her, has been a way to address difficult topics from a safe distance.
I choose fantasy to vent, to process complex political, s*xual and social politics at the safe distance of fiction. For me, that’s what art should be.
Stated Dormer to The Times. While she doesn’t mean that it is okay for the show to be so mentally catastrophic to watch, she added that one significant aspect of the show’s increased depiction of ‘violent content’ has been the important conversations it has brought about in discourse.
I think the fact it can start a conversation about the statistics of rape and how much it happens within the family… I’m not saying it’s OK… . I find parts of the show difficult to watch, but I don’t think we do young people any favours by sheltering them.
Never regarding the show’s raw and brutal content as gratuitous, Dormer maintains it is only reflective of the world’s complexities. Believing that sometimes it is easier to address real-world issues from a safe distance, i.e. art, the actress believes that the show has challenged viewers to reflect on the world around them, providing a space for contemplation through the filter of storytelling.
As of August 19th 2024, Game of Thrones can be streamed on Max.
