Celebrities

‘Sopranos’ alumna Edie Falco becomes the latest to criticize “trigger warnings” on TV shows

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on September 9, 2024

Edie Falco and her former co-star Drea de Matteo can be seen in the HBO documentary Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos, and The Wrap says that in the second installment Falco takes issue with the modern addition of “trigger warnings” to violent content.

“The show was always shocking somebody about something,” Falco says.

“You could push the envelope and let people be uncomfortable — forgive me, but without a trigger warning. The whole point is you want to surprise people and give them feelings that maybe are uncomfortable and have them learn to deal with them. That, my friend, is life.”

For her part, de Matteo says, “Like the episode where the stripper gets killed. It tells a story of Meadow in college against this young girl who would be the same age.”

Falco added that in life, “You’re not going to be given trigger warnings when terrible things happen.”

Matt Smith, the star of another HBO hit, House of the Dragon, recently lamented to The Sunday Times, “I’m not sure about trigger warnings. Isn’t being shocked the point?”

Smith said they’re proof “[e]verything’s being dialed and dumbed down.”

The English actor said, “We should be telling morally difficult stories, nowadays in particular. It’s OK to feel uncomfortable or provoked while looking at a painting or watching a play.”

He added, “We’re telling audiences they’re going to be scared before they’ve watched something. Isn’t being shocked, surprised, stirred the point?” The actor bemoaned “[t]oo much policing of stories,” adding, “being afraid to bring them out because a climate is a certain way is a shame.”