Ralph Fiennes had has his say on trigger warnings in theatre and the arts, saying he would permanently remove them if he could.
The acclaimed British actor, 61, known for his work in films including Harry Potter, The Menu and Schindler’s List, agreed with a BBC host when asked if modern audiences have ”gone too soft”.
”I think they have, yes,” Fiennes said, when appearing on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
Watch the video above.
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”I think we didn’t used to have trigger warnings… 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,” Fiennes continued.
The actor, who is currently starring in Macbeth, said some trigger warnings such as those for lighting should be used for the sake of people’s health, saying: ”I think things like strobe effects and things that might affect people physically they should be notified on.”
But he added: “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 telling me, “By the way, in King Lear, Gloucester’s going to have his eyes pulled out.'”
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He added: ”I mean the shock is, ‘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.”
The actor is currently starring in a stage production of Macbeth alongside Indira Varma, and the production has won rave reviews from critics.
In the early days of his career, Fiennes got his start and found success at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
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Fiennes previously said about acting on stage and said he agrees with Laurence Olivier who said that “in the theatre, the actor goes out to the audience,” making it different to how an actor works on the screen.
He told The Talks: “And I think that’s quite simple but actually very true that physically, vocally, you are sending energy across a physical distance, filling a specific physical space and a specific moment in time.”
“You are creating waves of communication through voice and gesture or even stillness, of course.”
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He added that he wants to do stage directing, saying: “I think that the uncertainties of making films can make it all quite stressful.”
Fiennes previously revealed at the premiere of his film The Menu in New York City that if the opportunity arose, he’s ready and willing to pick up the mantle of Lord Voldemort again.
“Sure, of course,” Fiennes told Variety when asked if he wants to play ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’ again.
He added: “No question about it.”
A role reprisal doesn’t seem to be too far out of the realm of possibility – Fiennes’ comments, after all, follow those made by Warner Bros. Discovery executive David Zaslav, where he revealed the company would be interested in making “something with J.K. [Rowling] on Harry Potter going forward”, according to the outlet.
Rowling, however, has been under fire for her very public transphobic comments, with much of the original cast distancing themselves from the franchise’s creator as a result.
Fiennes has notably been a vocal supporter of Rowling throughout the controversy.