Ralph Fiennes Sparks Debate With Trigger Warning Conversation
Ralph Fiennes is at the centre of debate following his appearance on Laura Kuenssburg’s BBC show over the weekend.
On Sunday, the former Harry Potter star – who is currently starring in a new production of Macbeth – raised eyebrows on social media when he shared his take on trigger warnings being included before live theatrical performances.
“I think they have, yes,” he began, when asked if modern audiences have “gone too soft”. “We didn’t used to have trigger warnings.
“There are very disturbing scenes in Macbeth, terrible murders and things, but I think the impact of theatre should be that you’re shocked, and you should be disturbed. I don’t think you should be prepared for these things. And when I was young, we never had trigger warnings for [live] shows.”
“When I was young we never had trigger warnings for shows”
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 11, 2024
Actor Ralph Fiennes “the impact of theatre should be that you’re shocked” and that he thinks audiences have gone too soft#BBCLauraKhttps://t.co/jeHgbRQpp1pic.twitter.com/D7ANngtKwP
When the host questioned if Ralph would “get rid” of trigger warnings before live theatre, he added: “I would yes. I mean, I think things like strobe effects and things that might affect people physically they should be notified
“But… Shakespeare’s plays are full of murders and full of horror, and as a young student and lover of the theatre, I never experienced trigger warnings… the shock [should be], ‘oh my god, this thing is happening’.
“Theatre has to be alive and connect in the present! It’s the shock, it’s the unexpected, that’s what makes an act of theatre so exciting!”
After a clip of Ralph’s interview was shared on X (formerly Twitter), many users took issue with his remarks, pointing out not just the practical use of trigger wanings, but also that content warnings have been commonplace in other media for decades…
We have trigger warning handout sheets at our theatre that outline exact timings of a range of things such as depictions of hanging, gunshots, loud noises and flashing lights.
— Owen Lloyd (@Owen_Lloyd07) February 11, 2024
These sheets, and our amazing team of Welcome/Access Hosts, help make our theatre more accessible. https://t.co/yRdA38K3t7
When you watched a TV show, or went to see a play and it said ‘viewer discretion advised, this piece deals with X issues’
— Talker (@ifetalksback) February 11, 2024
What did you think that was ? https://t.co/RwNv6hXifa
entire concept of the BBFC has existed for decades so people can make informed decisions about how they spend their time and money, every edgy drama undergrad thinks they have to cut a dick off on stage for no reason to make legitimate theatre you’re so fucking boring grow up https://t.co/O5k8xhOuXh
— steph ✨ (@saturrrday) February 11, 2024
There’s a difference between being shocked and being surprised. You can be creatively shocked without being horribly surprised. Trigger warnings enable some people to make informed choices about what they want to see/read/listen to. Also ‘when I was young’ ?! Really?! https://t.co/hPraJUf5xn
— Damian Barr (@Damian_Barr) February 11, 2024
trigger warnings aren't about shock. they're about things like cptsd.
— ℓყรɓεƭɦ 2000 (@SloaneFragment) February 11, 2024
ralph fiennes doesn't know what he's talking about. https://t.co/nzmQv0fw5u
i mean i literally went to see ralph fiennes in macbeth a few weeks ago and the trigger warnings were on one placard just as we were going in the door, it's not like it's obstructive and difficult to ignore if you want to????♀️shocked is not the same as triggered https://t.co/OuynaBTqn5
— tommy sunlight ☀️ (@miracleofmind) February 11, 2024
“we never had trigger warnings” https://t.co/oDPBxkZaHypic.twitter.com/DTJvDM7PXm
— Tom????????️???? (@TomHulme79) February 11, 2024
the Hays code was still in effect until Ralph Fiennes was six years old. he was twenty-seven years old when a gay kiss was shown for the first time on UK TV. https://t.co/p49EVRPMRI
— Janel Comeau (@VeryBadLlama) February 11, 2024
Much as I admire Ralph Fiennes as an actor, his memory is clearly fading here. Whether it was before a TV drama aired or a film hits cinema screens there has long been warnings about sex, violence and swearing; e.g. BBFC, anyone? https://t.co/vwBvMEX0Cg
— ???? ????????Fritha Malcouronne. ???????? ???? (@NomadicWriter) February 11, 2024
Granted Ralph Fiennes is a fair bit older than me, but as long as I can remember some tv shows have had warnings that they might be upsetting for some people and have listed support numbers at the end. That’s a GOOD thing, especially since TV has become a fair bit more graphic https://t.co/Pi1Kr3dnps
— Arthur.exe has stopped working (@scienceisc00l) February 12, 2024
One day people will stop pretending that content warnings mean you cannot then be shocked or challenged by art, or that using them or advocating for them means you must be soft, and on that day I shall know peace. https://t.co/9pegCXaylZ
— Charlotte Stein (@Charlotte_Stein) February 11, 2024
a useless topic of conversation when the sector is dying ???????? https://t.co/Lyeon9ECrO
— xanthus stan account (@tobikyere) February 12, 2024
I’m a bit annoyed with Ralph Fiennes y’know. He could have talked about accessibility, about theatre funding and how he’s worked in schools (especially while Macbeth was on in Liverpool) to bring down barriers. But he talked about trigger warnings
— Laura Marie Brown ????️⚧️???????? (@MsLaura_Brown) February 11, 2024
When you have a following as big as Ralph Fiennes does and an opportunity to speak about the arts on the BBC, please don't waste that opportunity by sneering at theatre content notices. Please advocate for government investment and how the arts are vital to our wellbeing. Thanks.
— Ben Spiller (@MxBenSpiller) February 11, 2024
Can we make a collective agreement that, as a community, we use public opportunities to raise awareness about the crisis our theatre industry is in and not peddle petty subjective arguments that divide us??? https://t.co/0TC1zgcoYF
— Bobby Harding (@bobby_harding_) February 12, 2024
“the impact of theatre should be that you’re shocked”.
— Matthew Myspace (@MatofKilburnia) February 11, 2024
I’m just trying to watch Dick Whittington with my kids, mate. https://t.co/qshnKNoNIF
I wish I’d had a trigger warning about how wide he’s sitting https://t.co/4qtzTDeUCN
— James Topham (@JamesTophamWord) February 11, 2024
Elsewhere in his interview, Ralph discussed the continuously rising prices of live theatre tickets, as well as his feelings on renewable energy.
The British performer is a two-time Oscar nominee thanks to his roles in Schindler’s List and The English Patient, and won a Tony in 1995 for his leading performance in Hamlet.