‘We should be telling morally difficult stories, nowadays in particular’
Matt Smith has said he fears trigger warnings are ‘dumbing down’ film and TV with the rise in recent years of the new addition to many films.
The British actor, best known for his stint as the Eleventh Doctor in the sci-fi classic Doctor Who, has previously called for the scrapping of the warnings that appear at the start of films and TV shows.
Trigger warnings are intended to inform audiences on scenes or topics that could be traumatic to the audience and ‘trigger’ unprompted reactions from certain viewers with whom the matters might resonate most strongly.
However, Smith has claimed that art and stories are being ‘dialled and dumbed down’ because of them.
Smith was asked by the Sunday Times if he enjoyed portraying morally ambiguous characters such as Prince Daemon Targaryen in the House Of The Dragon as well as Jack in Last Night in Soho to which he replied “100%”.
The actor said: “That’s the f****** point. 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 dialled and dumbed down. We’re telling audiences they’re going to be scared before they’ve watched something.
“Isn’t being shocked, surprised, stirred the point?”
He added: “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.
“I used to go to a local video shop and get Slither, Basic Instinct, Disclosure, all these erotic thrillers. I was way too young to be watching them. I watched Friday The 13th when I was nine… Actually, that scarred me. Absolutely ruined me.”
Smith has previously spoken about the matter and brought one of his most iconic roles as the Doctor in Doctor Who into the fray.
He said: “I always thought that was one of the great things of doing Doctor Who. That you scared children, in a controlled way, but you did scare them. Imagine you go to kids watching Doctor Who, ‘By the way, this might scare you.’ No, I’m not into it.”
The 41-year-old is not alone in this view, as other big name actors such as Ralph Fiennes and Judy Dench have both voiced their disapproval of the warnings.
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Fiennes said audiences have gone “too soft” and that people should be “shocked” and “disturbed”.
Meanwhile Dame Judy Dench gave her view as she said: “I can see why they exist, but if you’re that sensitive, don’t go to the theatre, because you could be very shocked. Where is the surprise of seeing and understanding it in your own way?”
In previous years Sir Ian McKellan described the use of trigger warnings as ‘ludicrous’ when speaking with Sky News, while Quentin Tarantino has previously said that he “rejects the word ‘offended’.”
However, Smith and Fiennes both agreed that warnings for strobe lighting and flashing images, which can cause epileptic fits, should be flagged.
Smith will feature in a new, soon to be released, British folk horror film called Starve Acre in which he plays an archaeologist who becomes subject of mythical folklore and its sinister forces originating from an oak tree on his land.
The film releases 6 September in UK cinemas.
