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Jessica Chastain Slams Game Of Thrones’ Spin On Sexual Assault And Character Development

A scene involving Sansa Stark and The Hound in the latest episode has stirred up considerable controversy.

SPOILERS FOR GAME OF THRONES SEASON EIGHT EPISODE FOUR!

YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!

After the lack of lighting nearly derailed the Battle Of Winterfell, we were all hoping for a return to form (and more light) for the next episode of Game of Thrones. While there was a plenty of light, it fell woefully short on the return to form part.

But the part that caused the most controversy among viewers was the scene between Sansa Stark and Sandor “The Hound” Clegane where they discuss her sexual assault from way back in season five at the hands of Ramsay Bolton, which is arguably the most criticised moment in the show’s history.

In the scene, the Hound suggests that Sansa could’ve avoided all of the abuse had she left with him early on in the series. In response, she says, “Without Littlefinger and Ramsay and the rest, I would have stayed a little bird all my life.”

Following the episode’s airing, Jessica Chastain, an avid feminist and women’s rights activist, slammed GoT for its spin on sexual assault and character development on her Twitter, writing:

“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.”

Following Jessica’s criticism of Sansa’s scene, a debate was sparked as many people shared their thoughts about the show’s representation of assault and its role in the character’s development.

Unsurprisingly, this has made fans worried about whether the show will stick the landing in its last two episodes. Having hit a new low with its most recent episode, the only way is up from here.

Today I Learned: Cersei And Bronn Are Never Seen Together On Game Of Thrones Due To A Very Petty Reason

Guess this sort of explains why Bronn grabbed Podrick and headed off to the pub at the end of season seven.

Game of Thrones has such a large ensemble cast that you’re going to need a massive corkboard and lot of string in order to figure out who has acted alongside who throughout the show’s eight season run.

But as it turns out, there are actually two characters who have almost never shared a scene together: Cersei and Bronn.

Aside from a few brief moments where the two characters pass by each other or are part of a giant group, there isn’t a scene that involves Bronn or Cersei exchanging dialogue, which is incredibly weird as he gradually becomes one of her most important pawns.

As it turns out, the reason why this is is because the actors, Lena Headey and Jerome Flynn used to date back in the date and it, uh, apparently didn’t end well.

According to a report by The Telegraph, Headey and Flynn dated way back in 2002 before breaking up. When the two found themselves starring in Game of Thrones about a decade later, it appears that the former couple still weren’t exactly friendly with one another.

Word from a crew member on the show is that both Headey and Flynn aren’t on speaking terms any more and aren’t in the same room at the same time. In fact, it is so bad that the crew member says they should be “kept apart at all costs.”

So in short, Cersei and Bronn don’t share any scenes because the actors used to date and it ended so badly they can’t stand to be in the same room as one another. Yikes.

Take this with a grain of salt of course, but you’d think that the two would be professional enough to put aside their personal differences during work hours. But hey, we have no idea what really went down so we can’t really jump to any conclusions about this.

Then again, it does sort of explain why Bronn and Cersei don’t cross each other’s paths at some point given his history with the Lannisters, as well as the use of intermediaries when needing to pass messages from one another.

It also kind of explains that scene at the end of season seven where Bronn grabs Podrick for a trip to the pub instead of joining everyone at the Dragonpit for that incredibly important meeting about the Night King threat.

If all this is actually true, then Game of Thrones cast parties must be slightly weird.

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