It's always interesting to hear how people outside the film world react to seeing sexual violence in a film, but as actors, what's your stance on being in a scene with it?
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It's always interesting to hear how people outside the film world react to seeing sexual violence in a film, but as actors, what's your stance on being in a scene with it?
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This is a good question. I would imagine for every actor or actress it would be different. I did a play a while back before I became a producer and director and was just acting, which had a rape scene in it where the "rapee" turns tides on the rapist and gains the upper hand, very powerful play. I found it to be an emotional roler coster - not only as an actress but as a person - because even though I can separate myself out from my character easily and go home knowing it isn't real - it can be taxing on the emotions. The best thing I found was the method in which the director handles it. If the director is understanding of the situation, the vulnerability that both the male and the female have to go through - for it isn't easy for a male to be a rapist either - and if the director and the crew are respectful an actor can get through it fine. I do find however, these types of scenes if they are NOT shot to teach people to stop this type of behaviour - if they are shot as a cool action film with gangsters or bad guys who go about it like it is everyday life and are glamourised or made out to be powerful cool guys. I feel this type of artistic freedom can be damaging to society. We as creative artists have a huge responsibility in the type of art we create. Art has the power to change or destroy the world. People are directly influenced by art. There fore it should be the creators responsibility to be mindful of the TYPE of MESSAGE his art gives out.
It's funny because it's such a touchy subject, that shouldn't be, that I find myself retyping my response over and over. We just shot a rape scene in our movie and even though we only shot the brief moment leading up to it, the guy tries to rip the blanket away from the girl, it was a unique experience. All credit to the actress because she made it feel so genuine that I felt myself acutely aware of how fucked this would be to do to a woman in real life. I will say though (this is where I keep getting stuck with the "touchy subject") it was also unique because it did allow me an experience to feel how powerful a man must feel when he is that blindly ignorant to literally take what he wants and at the same time, how dead someone like that must be inside to not know this is wrong. In short, it was an interesting moment to experience.
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It is and you are right. Sounds like the shoot went well! Congrats on the success of the filming. I don't think however that a rapist feels "powerful" when they rape, rape is a hate crime. Men who rape always feel horrible inside and often feel highly ashamed afterwords. Not too mention, once they have "raped" they often end up with erectile dysfunction - ironically enough. Men are naturally loving protective beings, and when they end up for whatever reason "out of whack," or as you put it "Blindly ignorant," or "dead," they still deep down feel loss and hurt. Unfortunately, movies that glamorize crime and criminal behavior as something cool, fool us all into thinking people like this are just evil or bad. And love doing what they do. But the truth is male or female, anyone who is in a state of mind that isn't ideal - per societies agreement on right and wrong - and is doing bad things - hate themselves for what they are doing. We tend to forget that underneath the bad behavior is a good person. The world and human beings are basically good by nature and do want to do the right things because of that always feel guilty, even when they pretend or act like they don't care. I am glad your shoot went well and respect your views. Thanks for sharing.
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I would want the film or TV show to be sending an overall message that I can get behind and for the quality of the production to be high so that it doesn't look like a bad porno. I would only do a sex scene or a violent scene with high safety and personal considerations taken, so a sexually violent scene would need to be handled carefully behind the scenes for me to go through with it. Sometimes sex and violence belong in the story and are worthy of being portrayed and as an actor, my job is to portray a character and story.
Very well said Molly!