'House of the Dragon' EP clarifies that sexual violence will not be depicted on screen

Last month, 'House of the Dragon' co-showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik said the 'Game of Thrones' prequel series would not "run away" from violence against women.

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However, writer and executive producer Sara Hess clarifies those comments about the "reimagining" of George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood," which premieres August 21.

"I would like to clarify that we do not depict sexual violence on the show," Hess said. "We take a case off-screen and instead show the aftermath and impact on the victim and the abuser's mother."

Hess added that she was very "proud" that the "House of the Dragon" chose to "focus on the violence against women inherent in a patriarchal system" instead of glossing over its effects and its devastating legacy.< /p>

"There are many "historical" or story-based shows that romanticize powerful men into sex/marriage relationships with women who were actually not of consenting age, even though they were "willing '" Hess explained. "We put that on screen, and we're not shy about saying that our female leads in the first half of the show are coerced and manipulated into doing the will of grown men."

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She added: "This is not necessarily done by those we would define as rapists or abusers, but often by generally well-meaning men who are unable to see that what they are doing is traumatic and oppressive, because the system they all live in normalizes it. It's less egregious than rape but just as insidious, albeit in a different way."

Although "House of the Dragon" will include rape and sexual assault, the acts will not be shown for free.

“In general, portraying sexual violence is tricky,” Hess admitted, “and I think the way we think about it as writers and creators is unique to our particular stories.”

The 10 episodes of "House of the Dragon" are set 200 years before the events of "GoT" and center on a civil war that has divided the Targaryen clan.

Author George R.R. Martin recently criticized the female portrayal of the HBO series at Comic Con in San Diego.

When asked why the rulers of Westeros seem determined not to have a queen atop the Iron Throne, Martin replied that the series is rooted in historical fact.

“I take inspiration from the story, then I take elements of the story and go up to 11,” Martin explained. "'Game of Thrones' is, as many people have observed, very loosely based on the Wars of the Roses. ['House of the Dragon'] is based on an earlier period in history called the Anarchy."

He added, "I don't think Westeros is particularly anti-woman or more misogynistic than real life and what we call history."

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