Sophie Skelton, who plays Brianna in the hit show Outlander, has opened up about a major scene that they filmed before eventually being cut from the show over concerns that it would be "triggering" for viewers.
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Speaking on Reign with Josh Smith, she revealed that they filmed Stephen Bonnet’s attack on Brianna before deciding to just show her leaving after the ordeal.
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"We filmed the whole thing and then the writers decided that there had been too much sexual abuse in the show, that it was too triggering for viewers," Sophie explained. "So they pulled that and obviously they knew what was coming with Claire’s scene and they decided to have that one instead the next season so they are very sensitive to the fact that it’s (sexual abuse) very prominent in the show."
Sophie opened up about why the scene was cut
She continued: "One way that I fought for it being justified being shown was to show it all differently. So in terms of showing that it happens in different ways and that victim response is different and that PTSD is handled differently.
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"So when we shot it, I kind of had Brianna's head a little to the side and just kind of tears streaming, but she's not feeling anything and she's just completely not in the room. And it's only when it's over that you see her shake and she's starting to feel her senses are kicking in again, and she's starting to actually process what just happened."
The star plays Brianna in the hit show
Caitriona Balfe, who plays Claire in the show, has also opened up about the show’s use of sexual assault, telling The Guardian: "We have to listen to the criticism and we maybe haven’t always gotten it right. We do try to handle it as sensitively as possible. I don’t think you can pretend these things don’t happen, especially when you go back to the not-too-distant past."
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