screenshot-2021.03.13-03_45_14.jpg

The upcoming Game of Thrones prequel titled House of the Dragon will not feature scenes that have any graphic violence against women, according to star Olivia Cooke. The prequel series, set to start filming in April, will tell the story of House Targaryen long before we met Emilia Clarke's Daenerys, and fans expect the show to have a very similar feel to the original series. However, they may notice that the show is dialing down on some of its graphic violence in an important, necessary way.

Since the series premiered in 2011, Game of Thrones has taken its place as one of the most popular shows in the history of television, which can be attributed to its compelling storytelling and phenomenal acting performances. However, despite its success and loyal fan following, the series still carried with it some controversy. Thrones included many graphic scenes depicting violence towards women, including instances of physical violence and sexual assault. The graphic nature of these scenes caused a major backlash from fans and critics, who deemed some of the violence as unnecessary. However, the prequel is looking to avoid these depictions in the upcoming installment.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Olivia Cooke, who will star in House of the Dragon as Alicent Hightower, ensured that the series will avoid including scenes depicting graphic violence towards women. If they were planning on doing so, Cooke said, then she would not have felt comfortable taking part in the series at all. Check out the full quote below:

“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 tantalizing in a way that gets viewers. I was lucky enough to read the [prequel] script before, and it has changed a lot from the first few seasons [of ‘Thrones’]. I don’t think they’d be in their right minds to include any of that any more.”

screenshot-2021.03.13-03_47_24.jpg

Cooke, who binged Game of Thrones following her casting in House of the Dragon, references a variety of controversial scenes from Game of Thrones' past. Early in season 1, there is a rape scene after Daenerys is sold to Dothraki Leader Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) in exchange for an army for her brother. In season 5, a similarly graphic scene takes place after Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) marries Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon). In both of these examples, the two characters' ages further contribute to the already-controversial nature of the scenes.

The decision to stop including scenes depicting physical violence and assault towards women finally answers a question that some fans had in opposition to the backlash: could the story be properly told without those moments? As Cooke implies, it may just be in HBO's best interest to develop storylines that avoid the inclusion of such scenes and help set an example for the industry moving forward. It seems they are moving in the right direction with House of the Dragon.