tradethesunforthemoonandstars:
On Straw Dogs:
“I think it’s fuckin’ sad,” he says. ”Because Charlie thinks this is not rape. He thinks she wants this: “She belongs with me — this is it, here we are, together forever.’ And that look between them when she’s like, Get off me…It kills him.”
Ultimately, though, the lesson he took from the role was “how crazy love can make you.” He says, “I don’t fall often, but I fall hard. And when you fall hard, it takes a while to get up.”
— Alexander Skarsgard (Men’s Journal (Oct. 2011), Scans: StoreMags.com)
I’m sorry, what? It’s sad for the rapist? I hope he meant sad as in pathetic, but that’s still not right. Abhorrent would be better. Atrocious. Horrific. Something that should never happen. Those would be better things to say, not that you pity him. And the lesson is how crazy love can make you. Because the rapist is a victim of love. Because the rapist is just so in love. No, I don’t think so. I realize he’s your character, but the rapist is not the victim. He’s not a sympathetic character. There is never an excuse for rape.
Guys. If he can’t find a way to sympathize with the character, to rationalize him, to make him seem human, how is he supposed to play him? This is all fictional and theoretical. Were there actual people involved, it would be more black and white.
why so much beef? I agree with above rebuttle. well said procrastinationandsarcasm - however I also agree with statement above as well. it’s a tough position.
OH DEAR GODRIC. Get over it girls. Seriously. I understand what he’s saying, that’s why we’re soul mates obviously.
“it’s sad” as in pathetic and awful because the CHARACTER (who isnt real by the way) doesn’t think of it as rape…which is BAD, because IT IS RAPE and thats BAD… LIKE WERE YOU READING THE SAME SHIT I WAS? fucking christ man, people like to take every fucking thing and make it a fucking issue, he basically said its fucking bad, but the character doesnt think so, get it? fuck.
AND the rest of his statement was obviously taken out of context, this is an interview, he isnt saying that playing a rapist and him falling in love are related things, he is saying that RAPE is a fucking PSYCHOTIC THING and some people are so crazy and think they are in love and think that love and rape are related… OKAY? wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww… i just got so annoyed, lmao sorry everyone
Oh excuse me, I’m so sorry the topic of rape annoys you (I’ll be using “you” to include everyone who thinks he’s just so dreamy and therefore they know exactly what he meant to say … which …. LMFAO). Don’t read this post then, wouldn’t want to upset anyone.
Couple of things.
1) If you continue using the “this is just a movie” argument, people might start to think you don’t know the connection between pop culture and rape culture. Wouldn’t want that, right?
2) This has become less about what he said (because I do believe he probably, hopefully meant something far less offensive but that’s not the point) and more about the fans’ reaction. You think he’s so dreamy that you don’t question a word he’s saying. That’s just depressing. You can’t just assume he didn’t mean it just because his biceps are impressive. That’s so offensive and anti-feminist I want to puke. If SOMEONE had questioned his words instead of going “Awwwwww”, I’m sure neither aclutteredmind nor moi would have been so pissed. Because that worries me too. That people don’t even read the shit he says even when it’s borderline sexist and definitely unreflected. And just straight-up dumb.
3) And don’t put words in his mouth just because you want to sit on his face either. Hot guys aren’t allowed to say asshole things just because you like the way their t-shirts cling to their moobies. You’re setting back feminism 100 years.
Oh look, I feel better. Bring it. Tell me I don’t know him. Tell me he didn’t mean it. Tell me I don’t get him, tell me I’m upset over a dumb movie, tell me I need to get a life. I. Do. Not. Care. Because this is an important topic which women should care about. And no, I don’t think he really meant to trivialize rape (fyi, he does rape her in the movie) but as a responsible man he should have expressed himself differently.
Also, I don’t care about the language barrier. English is not my first language either and even I know that on the topic of rape, get a fucking dictionary or you could be misinterpreted.
/littlemissbitchy
since many of his fans think of him as more than just a “hot guy” most of your argument is invalid. AND being “feminist” doesn’t have to mean being a cunt who doesn’t care about the feelings of men, either. “agreeing with him cus he is hot” is kind of fucking rude, to be honest, and shallow, and im neither of those things, so that entire argument is still invalid to me. yes there are people out there that you described perfectly, but still it’s just a movie, rape happens all the time, just cus its in a movie and done by a hot guy doesnt mean its right, whatever, but people need to calm down about if he says he feels sorry for his own character.. watch the film and get in his characters head and you’d know what he’s talking about.
anyways, this discussion i guess is between those who feel strongly against rape and those who see it as just another evil of our disgusting world. whatever.
You know, just because you say you’re neither rude nor shallow doesn’t mean you actually aren’t. I don’t know you so I can only go by what you wrote but rude does come to mind. Also, it seems you missed my point completely.
What do men’s feelings have to do with anything I wrote? And your use of the c-word doesn’t inspire much confidence in your knowledge of feminism, sorry. And again, “it’s just a movie” shows that your knowledge about rape culture isn’t that extensive either. Because that argument is invalid to me.
None of this is about understanding his character, it’s about his unfortunate choice of words and the fact that as soon as someone points this out, his fans go bonkers because they think they know better what he actually means. They don’t. I don’t either and I did point this out. What pisses me off is the fact that especially women don’t seem to understand the importance of this topic and instead of pausing and reflecting on his words, they attack those who do take a closer look just because they think they know exactly what he meant and we’re just overreacting. Maybe but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth discussing without using the c-word. I’m sure that one wasn’t directed at me but the use of it alone is offensive.
My real question would be, why do you make it sound like it’s anything but straight-up necessary to feel strongly against rape? It shouldn’t be viewed as “Eh, just another evil.” We should feel strongly about it. Always. Again, I’m not sure you do know what feminism means.
Apparently notjusttheblood and luvtheviking missed my reply, which used none of the personal depictions to which you took objection and thought invalidated the entire argument. I’ll repost it here for you now.
I don’t feel well-versed enough in rape culture to fully answer this, but I’ll try, because I really feel it needs addressing. It’s become less about what Alex said and more about how y’all are reacting to it, or mostly not reacting to it. This is an article based off an interview and things are skewed towards the writer’s bias, however unintentional that may be. Things may have been interpreted differently or rearranged and we’ll never know. However, what was said here is disturbing because it plays into rape culture, which the responses to my comment have also done.
1. He needs to sympathize with the character in order to play him. There’s a difference between trying to get into the mindset of your character and then expressing pity for him later in an interview by saying “it kills him” when his victim gives him a look that says “get off me.” That the lesson he took away from the film is “how crazy love can make you.” Love does not make you rape someone. That is not love; that is overpowering someone, forcing them to do what you want. Violating them sexually and emotionally. You don’t sympathize with that, you act for the character and then denounce everything about him once you’re done. You do not say it’s sad, in any definition of the word, or that the victim’s reaction just kills the rapist. That is sympathizing with the rapist and to some extent, victimizing him to the woman’s rejection.
2. This is fictional and would be different if real people were involved. Real people are involved every day in rape and its effects. Of course how it is portrayed in a film affects how a person seeing the movie would view rape. Pop culture makes impressions on people and depicting rape as just an issue of “miscommunication” is dangerous. Do you not see how this plays in to rape culture? That rape can be a shade of gray and depends on your point of view? No, fiction can be just as harmful to the societal view of rape as the news media describing what a woman was wearing when she was raped. No one asks to be raped and there is no miscommunication. A woman says no, it means no. You push it further, it is rape.
3. Obviously he meant rape is evil and terrible. Really? Because I read: “I think it’s fuckin’ sad,” he says. ”Because Charlie thinks this is not rape. He thinks she wants this: “She belongs with me — this is it, here we are, together forever.’ And that look between them when she’s like, Get off me…It kills him. …Ultimately, though, the lesson he took from the role was “how crazylove can make you.” Emphasis mine. So that’s sad, when talking about his character, and it kills his character, and boy love- it can make you crazy. What about that am I misinterpreting?
4. But they knew each other and it was just miscommunication. Fromthis National Institute of Justice report: “Only 16.7 percent of all female victims and 22.8 percent of all male victims were raped by a stranger. In general, female victims tended to be raped by current or former intimates, defined in this study as spouses, male and female cohabiting partners, dates, boyfriends, and girlfriends.” The other part about him not being the rapist- YES HE IS. He rapes her. She is then afterwards raped by another man, but Charlie rapes Amy.
Hopefully that will convince you why just being an actor and getting into a character isn’t the point and why “drama over a movie” is not stupid. As for “i guess is between those who feel strongly against rape and those who see it as just another evil of our disgusting world,” there’s a difference? If you see it as an evil, why wouldn’t you feel strongly about it and try to lessen its occurrence as much as you can? The public perception of rape, which is influenced by its portrayal in movies, will matter in the fight against it ever happening.
