Based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, the hit HBO drama series, Game of Thrones, is known for making several alterations to the series. And while some of these have been a point of contention for fans, the creators of the show have assured that one significant change has been for the best, regarding the intimate scenes in the show.
Game of Thrones | Credit: HBO
Though the fantasy drama has plenty of explicit scenes, the creators of the show David Benioff and Dan Weiss reflected on the extreme nature of such scenes in Martin’s books, arguing that they had to exempt several of them due to legal and moral reasons.
Game of Thrones creators on adapting George R.R. Martin’s explicit scenes
With its complex and intricate plot filled with unexpected twists and morally ambiguous characters, George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire continues to intrigue fans. The same has been the case with fantasy drama based on book series.
A still from Game of Thrones | Credit: HBO
However, some elements of the book series prove that the acclaimed author’s imagination might be a little too much for TV, as suggested by the show creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss.
In an interview with Westeros.org, the show creators reflected on an argument that the show appears to have more explicit scenes than books. However, Benioff argued, “There’s more s*x in the books than there is in the show.”
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“If we showed all the s*x in the books, you’d be talking to us from behind prison bars,” Dan Weiss added, as the duo discussed how the graphic nature of such sequences led them to exclude them from the show due to “legal and moral reasons.”
David Benioff and Dan Weiss | Credit: Gage Skidmore/CCA BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons
I’m thinking of this scene in A Dance with Dragons and… well, I can’t even imagine how we’d shoot that. And there are scenes in the books that we did not do for legal and moral reasons, that feature underage characters.
While David Benioff also admitted that there are scenes in the show that don’t actually exist in the book, he also argued that the “level of s*xual content and graphic content” is the same in both the book and the show.
George R.R. Martin defended graphic content in A Song of Ice and Fire
George R.R. Martin has frequently addressed criticism regarding the graphic depictions of s*xual content in his books, which have served as the basis for several adaptations.
And the author has consistently defended his approach, attributing it to his commitment to grounding his best-selling series in the brutal realities of history and war. In an interview with The New York Times,
An artist has an obligation to tell the truth. My novels are epic fantasy, but they are inspired by and grounded in history. R*pe and s*xual violence have been a part of every war ever fought, from the ancient Sumerians to our present day.
George R.R. Martin | Credit: Yerpo/CCA BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons
He also argued that omitting such details would not only be “fundamentally false and dishonest” but would also undermine “the true horrors of human history.” Martin further emphasized that the atrocities in his books “pale in comparison to what can be found in any good history book.”
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He also acknowledged the graphic nature of certain sequences, noting that they are meant to be “uncomfortable, disturbing, hard to read.” However, Martin distanced himself from responsibility for their portrayal in adaptations, such as television shows or graphic novels.
“The graphic novels and television programs are in the hands of others, who make their own artistic choices,” he explained in response to the criticism surrounding the depiction of s*xual violence in his works and their adaptations.
Game of Thrones is available to watch on Max.
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