A Game of Thrones discussion

Are the children who act in Game of Thrones allowed to see these shows after they are made? Considering some of them are really young do you think they should be allowed?

guess it's up to mummy and daddy. i've had the same thought towards lots of series and films.

There's a few interviews online, in which the child actors answer this very question. So you are not alone in wondering this very thing :-)
And at least for Maisie Williams (Arya) I can tell you, that she has seen episodes of the show. But she is 4 years in. In the beginning she would view selected parts her parents picked for her to watch with them (if I remember the interview correctly).

I remember reading an interview with the girl who played Hitgirl in Kick-Ass in which she said she had dialogue that included things she couldn't say at home....

On the other hand, who are we really kidding with this kind of stuff these days? Any kid with a phone is just a few taps away from all kinds of adult material. It's something of a constant of life in the 21st century.

i remeber reading that the parents of the boy who plays 'Bran' had the talk about 'the birds and the bee's' with him after filming so he knew what to expect when he eventually watched the series

Well all of the original child actors have pretty much grown up now so it shouldnt be a problem anymore.

There is cast commentaries on the DVDs. I've watched an episode where Arya, Sansa and Bran are commentating to the episode in series one which has some pretty graphic scenes. So I'm gonna say yes they watch it.

Becky wrote: "There is cast commentaries on the DVDs. I've watched an episode where Arya, Sansa and Bran are commentating to the episode in series one which has some pretty graphic scenes. So I'm gonna say yes t..."

But aren't the commentaries edited in later? So when they record the commentaries they're not actually watching the action as it comes on screen.

They were responding to the action so I'm pretty sure they were watching it

I believe that is also one of the reasons why all the children characters were "aged up" for the series and, in some cases, they hired actors older than their parts (looking slightly younger than their age). All of them were at least 3 years younger in the books. For example, Joffrey Baratheon is supposed to be 12 years old at the beginning of the story; he was 15-16 for the series (if I remember correctly) and Jack Gleeson was 18 when the series started.

Arya Stark was 9 years old in the books (at the beginning), 11-12 in the series and Maisie Williams was 13 when it started. As someone pointed out, her parents "edited" her access to the series. But now she is 17 years old, which is a big difference at that age and I am assuming that her parents allow her to watch more now because of that.

As for "any kid with a phone these days", it is up to the parents to give kids a smartphone these days and at what age, as much as it is up to them to let them watch/play inappropriate content.

Laura wrote: "As for "any kid with a phone these days", it is up to the parents to give kids a smartphone these days and at what age, as much as it is up to them to let them watch/play inappropriate content."

Yeah, I'm sure that works out just fine too. No kid could have access to something their parents didn't want them to see....

Sadly it happens all too often. But at the same time I don't believe in watching children like a hawk. I think keeping an eye on them when they're young is appropriate but later on I would think that you have raised them with enough morales to know what is appropriate and what is not. If you never trust your kids when will they ever learn to monitor themselves?

Parents should also discuss taboo subjects with their children so that they don't feel like they have to sneak behind their backs for answers.

This seems to be the main reason kids sneak, curiosity.

Teaching kids how to deal with such stuff is certainly and issue. Or, rather, them learning on their own is probably more accurate. As a general rule, the kids are going to be more familiar with the whole process than their parents....

My point in bringing that dynamic up, though, is that the whole assumption of the "innocence" (maybe really "ignorance") of kids and "allowing" them to see such material (when it is pretty much inevitable these days) might be really little more than denial on the part of adults. Maybe the real adjustment that needs to be made is in the expectations of parents and, in this case, audiences.

In that context, I have little doubt that every one of the kids who has acted in the Game of Thrones adaptation has seen far more provocative material than is actually on that show.

Gary wrote: "Teaching kids how to deal with such stuff is certainly and issue. Or, rather, them learning on their own is probably more accurate. As a general rule, the kids are going to be more familiar with ..."


More proactive? Unless they're watching adult videos I would hope not!

Hannah wrote: "More proactive? Unless they're watching adult videos I would hope not!"

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean there. You mean kids or their parents should be more proactive (or less?)

It depends on how children are raised. As Hannah mentioned, if you discuss with your children about certain issues and why it is that you don't consider some content appropriate, you will probably get better results than if you just say "don't watch that" and even way better than if you just buy them a smartphone and don't say anything at all.

That "modern" concept that children will do whatever they please, whenever they please and there's nothing on Earth that parents can do to prevent it is just lazy parenting. Thinking that it is "inevitable" that kids will see inappropriate material is denial of the fact that parents are, actually, responsible for their formation.

Laura wrote: "Thinking that it is "inevitable" that kids will see inappropriate material is denial of the fact that parents are, actually, responsible for their formation."

I think that's the party line, but I don't think it bears a lot on reality. Ultimately parents are HELD responsible, but the expectation in this case shows how unrealistic that expectation is. I would suggest that your example illustrates that. They can only "probably get better results" by good parenting.

Should kids be allowed to watch something like the Game of Thrones adaptation? Up to the parents, absolutely. Will they find it on their own if they are interested? That's just as certain.

Sorry spellcheck on my tablet is acting up. I meant to put provocative

Hannah wrote: "Sorry spellcheck on my tablet is acting up. I meant to put provocative"

Ah, well, that just makes sense then....

I'm rapidly turning into an old man, but I remember being thirteen, and though my parents were pretty good about this kind of stuff, I'm certainly I saw an awful lot more than they would have approved of. That was back in the days of wavy, scrambled ON TV and un-airbrushed Playboy models who were so hirsute that these days they look like yeti.

I saw adult media 30-40 years ago, when you had to be a relatively sharp cookie to get your hands on a copy of Hustler as a junior high schooler. Maybe I was more precocious than most in that, but my general point is that these days someone inclined (and, let's be honest, most of us are...) is going to find that kind of material with amazing ease.

For me, the point is not whether kids can or cannot find inappropriate material if they really want to, but whether they would really want to and why. Not ALL kids in the world are searching for porn and gore, and there is a reason for that.

I also remember being 13 and curious and having a younger brother, when he was 13 and curious. I see that it is your opinion that responsible parenting is unrealistic and impossible. It is not mine and I call the shots in my house, fortunately for me. I cannot say if children educated with my style would be happier than children educated in yours, but it is the way that I prefer and I know for a fact that it is neither unrealistic nor impossible. I am not just HELD responsible for them, I AM.

Sorry about the awful grammar... I am tired today :P

I agree. I don't think it safair to assume all children and teenagers are up to no good online. There are plenty of children who are raised with values about was is appropiate viewing material and are capable of governing what they watch. It's just some kids who you need to watch more carefully.