“Game of Thrones” actress Natalie Dormer recently spoke about the portrayal of female characters during the “Women Who Kick Ass” panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2014.
Dormer, who also plays Cressida in the upcoming “Mockingjay” film, argued male writers typically portray women as a saint or a “witch,” according to Crushable. The actress claimed the reason why characters like Katniss are so popular is because they are a rare sight in the film industry.
“The best female roles are in television at the moment. Katniss Everdeen — as popular as she is — is an anomaly,” Dormer told the panel crowd. “She really is. Where television is fantastic — and is way ahead of film — is it doesn’t feel the need to polarize women so much…Male writers — and I say this with all love and respect — often want to make a woman either the angel or the whore, make her the witch, or put her on the pedestal.”
Dormer claimed television is ahead of film with the portrayal of female leads. The actress explained her “Game of Thrones” character is complex and can’t be placed in the “angel” or “whore” category.
“When people ask me about Margaery, I say they’re not mutually exclusive,” she told the panel crowd. “You don’t have to be practical and politically savvy and not be a good person. You can be a good human being and just be shrewd.”
The actress also commented on the “Game of Thrones” series in general, pitching in what she believes the show is about, according to The Daily Mail.
“[The series] shows you all the different ways you can wield power: Whether it’s psychological, physical, sexual, dragons... it shows how different people are given different weapons, physically and metaphorically, and how they use then,” Dormer said.
