Matt Smith agrees with Ralph Fiennes’ view ’utterly and completely’ that trigger warnings in theatre should be scrapped.
The 41-year-old, known for his roles in Doctor Who and The Crown and currently starring in West End play An Enemy Of The People, said people go to the theatre ‘to be shocked’ and “arrested’.
Speaking on BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Matt – who played the late Prince Phillip in the royal Netflix drama – agreed with the Harry Potter actor, 61, who appeared on the show last week and said audiences at the theatre should be ‘shocked and disturbed’.
Smith said: ‘I agree. I watched it, I agree with Ralph utterly and completely. That’s why we go to the theatre isn’t it?
‘To be shocked, to be arrested out of ourselves, to recognise ourselves in front and with an audience.’
The Doctor Who actor did also say trigger warnings ‘make sense’ if ‘there are strobes or whatever’ but he worries they sanitise theatre when it comes to preparing audiences for certain topics.
Trigger warnings are used to warn audiences about potentially distressing subjects they may find upsetting that will be broached in a play, film, or TV show.
‘But I worry sometimes that we’re moving towards a sort of sanitised version of everything and we’re stripping the danger and the invention and the ingenuity out of everything,’ Matt said, asking: ‘Isn’t art meant to be dangerous?
‘It’s like, I always thought that was one of the great things of doing Doctor Who is that you scare children but in a controlled way.
‘But you did scare them. I mean imagine going to kids watching Doctor Who “By the way this might scare you”.
‘No, I’m not into it.’
Last week Ralph sparked outrage when he appeared on the same show and said audiences had ‘gone too soft’.
When asked by the presenter whether audiences have ‘gone too soft’, Ralph answered: ‘‘I think they have, yes.’
The 61-year-old continued: ‘I think we didn’t used to have trigger warnings.’
He then explained how in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which he is currently starring in with Indira Varma, there are ‘very disturbing scenes’ and ‘terrible murders and things … But I think the impact of theatre should be that you’re shocked, and you should be disturbed,’ he continued.
‘I don’t think you should be prepared for these things.’
When Ralph was younger, he explained how trigger warnings weren’t a thing, and asked whether he would scrap them if he had the ability, the James Bond actor answered: ‘I would, yes, I would.’
On todays show Matt also recalled his reaction to being offered the role of Doctor Who when he was 26.
‘I was young and sort of foolish,’ he said. ‘I’m still foolish and just older and I thought well, would I just always be Doctor Who?
‘Then I realised actually always being Doctor Who is amazing. It’s a great thing. It’s still one of the great pleasures of my life. I’m so, so proud of that show and it’s just the most amazing part.
‘Suddenly you’re Doctor Who, so children are like “What, no way you’re Doctor Who?”.’
Matt was the 11th Doctor on the long-running BBC show following on from David Tennant, who recently returned to the role for three special 60th anniversary episodes.
Asked if he would ever consider a similar return, Smith said: ‘Never say never.’
Aside from gaining recognition in The Crown alongside Claire Foy, who played the late Queen Elizabeth II, Matt also hit TV screens as Prince Daemon Targaryen in Game Of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon.
His other film credits include Last Night In Soho, Pride And Prejudice And Zombies and Morbius.
An Enemy Of The People, by Henrik Ibsen, is at the Duke of York’s Theatre until April 6
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