Iwan Rheon Says “Horrible” ‘Game of Thrones’ Rape Scene Was the “Worst Day of My Career”

By Greta Bjornson @greatbjornson
Published Nov. 3, 2020, 1:14 p.m. ET

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Iwan Rheon hates that Game of Thrones wedding night scene as much as you do. The actor, who starred as one of GOT’s most despised villains, Ramsey Bolton, from 2013 to 2016, opened up about filming the Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) rape scene from the episode “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken,” telling Metro UK it was one of the worst days of his acting career.

During the Season 5 episode, Ramsey assaults his new wife while forcing Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) to watch. When the episode aired in 2015, it was met with harsh criticism from some viewers, who thought the show had taken it too far with its depictions of sexual violence against women.

Now, looking back, Rheon says it was “horrible” filming the scene. “Nobody wanted to be there,” he said. “Nobody wants to do that, but if it’s telling a story then you have to tell it truthfully. They didn’t sensationalize it or anything. It was very, very hard watching. It’s a horrible thing that happens, unfortunately, and it shouldn’t be.

“It was the worst day of my career. Chopping someone’s finger off you don’t really see it, and when you’re doing like a close up, it’s a piece of plastic,” he continued. “We’re just acting, it’s not real. Then something like that where you’re in the actual reality of the situation is very difficult to deal with. It was a horrible, horrible day. This is something that we shouldn’t even have to worry about, because it’s something that shouldn’t exist in this world, but unfortunately it does.”

For her part, Turner has said that the scene compelled her to advocate more for women’s rights. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar last year, Turner told the magazine, “Initially, I didn’t feel there was anything that stayed with me from all the things Sansa went through. But though I think it hasn’t affected me emotionally, I did start thinking about the domestic abuse and rape, and it spurred this little part of me that might be an activist.”

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