Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa slammed for rape joke, in wake of Weinstein sex scandal
Footage of Jason Momoa joking about his rape scenes in Game of Thrones has gone viral online, in the wake of a wider outcry about sexual harassment in the film industry.
Speaking at Comic Con panel event in 2011, Momoa said: "As far as sci-fi and fantasy, I love that genre because there are so many things you can do, like rip someone’s tongue out of their throat and get away with it – and rape beautiful women." The remark, which met with laughter from the audience, has been branded "horrific" and "awful" by viewers on social media.
tw: rape
a horrific clip of jason momoa saying he loved working on #gameofthrones bc he "got to rape beautiful women." men are trash. pic.twitter.com/K2RBmsWEt6— elizabeth (@peeanofreek) October 12, 2017
Everyone laughing after Jason Momoa jokes about rape IS rape culture. That laughter is why victims don't come forward.
— Meg Ahsens (@MegAhsens) October 12, 2017
The video resurfaced this week, as a wave of Hollywood stars spoke out against sexism in showbusiness, prompted by a series of reports accusing Oscar-winning producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment.
Speaking to the New York Daily News in August 2011, Momoa said he found it "very hard" filming the scenes in which his violent character Khal Drogo raped Daenerys Targaryen, the character played by Emilia Clarke.
"It was very hard because I've never done that to anyone," he said. "I was like, 'The good news is I'm not a rapist.' It didn't feel good – I don't like women crying when I'm making love to them," he said.
Momoa's fans have been quick to defend the actor, while others on social media have responded to the furore by criticising Game of Thrones itself for "glorifying" sexual violence:
Jason Momoa said a stupid thing. Do I think he's an awful person? No. He just said a very very stupid thing.
— Diedre (@deej_r25) October 12, 2017
Why are yall mad @ Jason Momoa, when you binge watch his show that glorifies rape and incest in the first place��
You enjoy it. Stfu— Laini مورينو�������� (@LainiMoreno) October 12, 2017
Momoa, who also stars in Netflix series Frontier and as DC superhero Aquaman in the forthcoming Justice League film, has since apologised for the comments.
"I awoke in Australia to the justified reactions by many people to a distasteful joke I made years ago in Hall H for which I am sorry," he wrote on Instagram yesterday. "I am still severely disappointed in myself at the insensitivity of my remarks that day. I know my sincerest apology now won't take away those hurtful words.
"Rape and sexual harassment can reach anyone and I have seen first hand its painful torment among members of my own family and friends. I made a truly tasteless comment. It is unacceptable and I sincerely apologise."
Support for sexual assault survivors
Momoa has previously said he is determined to raise "awareness" about rape. Speaking in 2014 about his film Road to Paloma, the Irish/Hawaiian actor – whose mother is of Native American descent – said he had written and directed the movie in order to draw attention to legal loopholes that can leave women living on US Indian Reservations without legal protection in rape cases.
"My cowriter Robert [Homer Mollohan] found that 86 per cent of the reported rapes were committed by non-natives – and that’s just reported," he said. "I’ve had the best group of women in my life – and if the law didn’t take care of them, what would you do? It’s one of those injustices that are happening right now, and to bring awareness to it is really what we wanted to do."
