'Game of Thrones' Star Carice van Houten Thinks #MeToo Movement Affected Nudity in Show

When Game of Thrones first aired back in 2011, fans couldn’t go five minutes without seeing breasts, butts, or beheadings. Over the next eight years, the brutality and violence didn’t change much (looking at you, Red Wedding), but we definitely saw less and less of the (mostly female) characters in birthday suits.

Fans speculated that the actors’ growing fame gave them more of a say in what they would and would not do on the show, but Carice van Houten, who played the Red Priestess Melisandre, says there is something else to thank for the change.

When van Houten stopped by Deadline for an interview published this week to discuss the end of GoT, as well as some of her upcoming projects, interviewer Andreas Wiseman asked if she ever got comfortable with the “femme fatale” steaminess that Melisandre embodied. van Houten responded:

“Yes and no…. it’s never comfortable being the only one undressed on set. It was before I had a child. I would be more uncomfortable now. The times have changed in many ways. Back then, it was all a little overwhelming. No one forced me into anything, but in hindsight I might have been a little more cautious with it.”

Wiseman brought up that the #MeToo movement gained popularity while the show was being filmed, and asked van Houten if she believes this changed the showrunners’ views on nudity. The 42-year-old actress said, without hesitation, “Yes. It also showed that you don’t need it.”

The #MeToo movement was started by civil rights activist Tarana Burke in 2006, and gained immense popularity in 2017 following the many Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse accusations.

Watching such a high-budget show like Game of Thrones evolve from the raunchy first season to the profound end is just one small example of how immensely powerful the #MeToo movement is.