Actor Jessica Chastain on latest GoT episode: ‘Rape not a tool to make character stronger’

Actor-activist Jessica Chastain took a dig at the makers of Game of Thrones for justifying rape and sexual abuse for the evolution of Sansa Stark’s character. Chastain, who will next be seen in Sophie Turner-fronted X-Men: Dark Phoenix, took to Twitter Tuesday to call out the HBO series for crediting Sansa’s victimisation in order to grow.

“Rape is not a tool to make a character stronger. A woman doesn’t need to be victimized in order to become a butterfly. The #littlebird was always a Phoenix. Her prevailing strength is solely because of her. And her alone. #GameOfThrones (sic)” the actor wrote.

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In the latest episode, Sandor ‘The Hound’ Clegane tells Sansa (played by Sophie) that had she left King’s Landing with him, she would not have faced villains like Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish and Ramsay Bolton. To which Sansa said, “Without Littlefinger and Ramsay and the rest, I would have stayed a ‘little bird’ all my life,” she says, using his nickname for her.

Baelish, through the seasons, manipulated Sansa as per his needs while posing as her protector and mentor. It was Littlefinger who orchestrated the execution of Sansa’s father Ned Stark, deaths of Jon Arryn and Joffrey Baratheon, framed Tyrion Lannister for the attempt on Bran Stark’s life and eventually caused the War of the Five Kings.

In a severely criticised development, which was absent in GRR Martin’s books, the fifth season of the series showed Ramsay rape Sansa on their wedding night. Turner is yet to respond to the social media furore against the latest episode. Meanwhile, Dark Phoenix will see Turner reprise her role as the telekinetic-telepath mutant, Jean Grey aka Phoenix.

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