Hollywood, in general, is an example of the dumbing down of society, but actor Matt Smith is calling out their use of trigger warnings for movies and television shows quite specifically.
Smith, who plays Prince Daemon Targaryen on the HBO series House of the Dragon, often finds himself in scenes that push the envelope.
The show, a prequel to Game of Thrones, which is also known for its taboo angles, has plot lines often enveloped in grotesque violence, graphic sexual scenes, and an inordinate focus on incest.
Sometimes the scenes involve all three of those elements.
While television shows and movies all have particular ratings overall, allowing the viewer some expectation of the level of debauchery they might encounter, Smith believes the new trend of trigger warnings is a bridge too far.
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Matt Smith Would Like To Slay Trigger Warnings
Matt Smith, in an interview with The Times, expressed disapproval of trigger warnings, which alert TV viewers to the presence of disturbing content.
The actor believes being shocked is part of the point.
“Isn’t being shocked, surprised, stirred the point?” he asked. “Too much policing of stories and being afraid to bring them out because a climate is a certain way is a shame. I’m not sure I’m on board with trigger warnings.”
Smith pointed to other famous scenes that shocked audiences and managed to do so thanks to the lack of trigger warnings. How different would that Sharon Stone scene in Basic Instinct be if the audience had been warned, for instance?
“We should be telling morally difficult stories, nowadays in particular. 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,” he continued.
“We’re telling audiences they’re going to be scared before they’ve watched something.”
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Maybe Tone Down The Sex And Violence?
Yes, Hollywood trigger warnings are a bit absurd, but then, so are the number of raunchy scenes Hollywood puts out necessitating them.
Several weeks ago, House of the Dragon viewers were left aghast over an extremely graphic scene involving Matt Smith’s character and that character’s mother.
Scenes like that rarely advance the plotlines and don’t require a graphic nature to get the producer’s point across. They are done almost exclusively for shock value.
The show clearly has no intention of shying away from raunchy elements any time soon. Which most likely means there will be more trigger warnings in the future.
Much to Matt Smith’s dismay.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, the debate over trigger warnings in Hollywood continues to rage on with actors like Matt Smith standing against what they see as an undue censoring of content. While trigger warnings aim to protect viewers from potentially distressing material, Smith argues that they detract from the artistic freedom and impact of storytelling. It remains to be seen whether the industry will adjust its practices or continue to push boundaries in the pursuit of entertainment.
