The writers behind the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, have toned down scenes featuring violence towards women, according to star Olivia Cooke.
The actress has revealed the script is nothing like the draft she first saw a few years ago, and that was due to the backlash directed at the writers and creators over scenes on Game of Thrones characters involving Sophie Turner’s character Sansa Stark, and Emilia Clarke’s dragon queen Daenerys Targaryen.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable in being a part of anything that has just egregious graphic violence towards women for no reason whatsoever, just because they want it to be tantalising in a way that gets viewers,” Olivia told The Telegraph.
“I was lucky enough to read the script before, and it has changed a lot from the first few seasons (of Game of Thrones). I don’t think they’d be in their right minds to include any of that any more.”
The hit HBO show was heavily criticised a number of times for depicting violence against female characters, with viewers complaining after a storyline featured the rape of Sansa Stark on her wedding night, as well as a scene in which Clarke’s character was brutally forced to have sex by Jason Momoa’s Khol Drogo.
House of the Dragon, which also stars Rhys Ifans, Paddy Considine and Matt Smith, is expected to hit screens in early 2022.
