Everything’s Being Dialed and Dumbed Down

Matt Smith has expressed his disapproval of trigger warnings, arguing that there is “too much policing of stories” in today’s entertainment. The actor, known for roles in “House of the Dragon” and “Doctor Who,” believes that characters and themes are being “dialed and dumbed down” to avoid causing discomfort to audiences.

Smith, who portrayed the Time Lord in “Doctor Who” from 2010 to 2013, is not in favor of trigger warnings. He asserts that such pre-emptive messages about potentially distressing content diminish the element of surprise.

“We’re telling audiences they’re going to be scared before they’ve watched something,” said Smith.

He elaborated, “We should be telling morally difficult stories, especially nowadays. It’s okay to feel uncomfortable or provoked while engaging with art, but I worry everything’s being dialed and dumbed down.”

Regarding trigger warnings, Smith questioned, “Isn’t being shocked, surprised, and stirred the point? Too much control over stories and the fear of releasing them because of the current climate is a shame. I’m not sure I’m on board with trigger warnings.”

Reflecting on his own experiences, Smith mentioned, “I used to go to a local video shop and get movies like ‘Slither,’ ‘Basic Instinct,’ ‘Disclosure’—all these erotic thrillers. I was way too young to be watching them. I watched ‘Friday the 13th’ when I was nine.”

Trigger warnings have sparked controversy in the film, TV, and theatre industries. Notable figures like Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes have also voiced their disdain for such warnings in plays.

Dench expressed her horror upon learning that trigger warnings were placed on a performance of “Antony and Cleopatra” for “depictions of suicide, scenes of violence and war, and misogynoir references.”

“Do they do that? My God, it must be a pretty long trigger warning before ‘King Lear’ or ‘Titus Andronicus,'” she remarked.

Dench suggested that people sensitive to these topics should perhaps avoid theatre altogether.

In the past year, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre added an ableism trigger warning to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” after casting Francesca Mills, an actor with dwarfism. Producers explained that theatregoers might be distressed by Helena’s famous line: “Though she be but little, she is fierce.”

In 2021, the theatre also placed a warning on “Romeo and Juliet” for “depictions of suicide,” “moments of violence,” and “drug use.”

Ralph Fiennes, who starred in a touring production of “Macbeth” earlier this year, has previously called for the removal of trigger warnings. He believes that audiences should sometimes be “shocked” and “disturbed.”

“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, and when I was young, we never had trigger warnings for shows,” Fiennes said.

However, Fiennes agreed that warnings should remain for physical effects, like strobe lighting, which can affect people’s health.

Smith has previously voiced concerns about the use of trigger warnings in stage productions, worrying that it leads to a “sanitized” version of art.

The actor from “The Crown” acknowledged the need for alerts for elements like strobe lighting, which can cause seizures and other health crises. Nonetheless, he warned that other audience warnings might hurt the theatrical experience.

“I worry sometimes that we’re moving towards a sort of sanitized version of everything and we’re stripping the danger and the invention and the ingenuity out of [everything],” Smith told BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg in February.

“Isn’t art meant to be dangerous?” he asked.