Harry Potter Star Ralph Fiennes Says Audiences Have ‘Gone Too Soft’, Here's Why

Ralph Fiennes, known for playing Voldemort in Harry Potter movies, has aimed at theaters for posting trigger warnings for their productions. The 61-year-old movie star criticized the woke messages, saying instead of being warned about what will happen during performances, people should expect to be surprised. 

Ralph Fiennes upset with the trigger warnings 

As per Fox, Fiennes admitted in a recent interview that the audience has gone too soft. The actor believes that the art should be able to shock the viewer. He said, “I think we didn't used to have trigger warnings. I mean, there are very disturbing scenes in Macbeth, terrible murders and things. But I think the impact of theater 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." 

The host went on to inquire as to whether the James Bond actor would if he were able, do away with trigger warnings. “Yes, I would," he said.

Trigger warnings for theatre shows 

In anticipation of its forthcoming season of classic film screenings honoring British film composer John Barry, the British Film Institute (BFI) has issued many trigger warnings for viewers. According to reports, in January 2023, British universities started to place trigger warnings on famous Greek and Shakespearean tragedies for students who might be sensitive to their graphic content.

British publication At the time, the University of Derby and several other British universities declared classic tragedies like Shakespeare's "Hamlet" to be "potentially upsetting" for their students.