Alfie Allen receives surprise praise for portrayal of Reek
Game of Thrones is a show full of sex and violence, and every season it seems that charges of the producers going over-the-top or extra gratuitous always get recycled back as the show progresses and the death toll mounts. But no storyline has drawn as much fire as Theon’s transformation into Reek. Originally a story that played completely out of sight of the reader, Benioff and Weiss’ decision to include Ramsey Snow’s horrific torture of Theon Greyjoy until the character is broken down into his pet “Reek” was criticized by seemingly everyone.
But Allen disclosed recently at a press event in London that, though filming those scenes made him feel lonely and isolated, his portrayal touched fans in a way he didn’t expect….
According to The Independant:
Allen said that the woman fan told him that she was a victim of domestic violence and actually drew strength from Theon.
“She pulled me aside and said ‘I get beaten by my husband. He hits me in places that no one ever sees, in the way that you receive abuse in Game of Thrones, it’s not pathetic and it gives me strength’,” he said.
Considering that one of the other charges that regularly gets leveled at Game of Thrones is how it depicts violence against women, it’s interesting that those who experience it in real life can draw strength from the show.
As Allen said, the encounter was a powerful one:
“[I]t kind of made me realize that I do have responsibilities as an actor. You kind of tend to think of – I have self-loathing, [acting] is such a vain profession. Is it really making a difference to anyone’s life?”
We’ll see if more people will draw strength from Allen’s continued performance, as Ramsey Snow–now Ramsey Bolton–takes a more public role in the North in Season 5.
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