Dame Judi Dench, a seasoned English actress, voiced her strong opinions against trigger warnings in theaters and movies. Talking to The Times of the UK, she termed these warnings as “mollycoddling.” Dench, aged 91, made these remarks as part of her upcoming memoir, “Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?”
Dench contends that trigger warnings have surpassed the necessary limits such as age ratings and certain sound effects. “I think they have gone too far,” she said. “It’s mollycoddling. If you’re that sensitive, don’t go to the theater.”
By all means, keep the warnings about strobe lighting and gunshots, and obviously there should be age limits for children, but that’s about it. Otherwise, where will it end?
She humorously suggested that these warnings could spoil classic narratives by removing surprise elements. “The trigger warnings before ‘Titus Andronicus’ would be longer than the play,” she remarked. “If you overdo the warnings, doesn’t it take away from the audience’s enjoyment of the story? Do you tell them that the butler did it in an Agatha Christie play so as not to shock them?”
Dench highlights that in the safety of a theater or cinema, audiences should feel provoked and stimulated, suggesting that is the essence of entertainment.
And who knows what might trigger people? Balloons, clowns, buttons. I have a friend who doesn’t like bananas. She feels physically sick every time she sees one. Should supermarkets put up warning signs in the fruit and veg aisle? It drives me wild.
These sentiments aren’t new. Dench shared similar views in a 2024 interview, expressing that particularly sensitive individuals should perhaps avoid theaters to prevent shock.
Film critic and podcast host Christian Toto celebrated Dench’s comments, despite considering them obvious. He noted that almost any aspect of art could be triggering based on individual experiences. If a person’s beloved dog recently passed, a story featuring a sick pet could be challenging.
Toto said, “Art is meant to challenge us, to question our beliefs and offer new perspectives on older ideas. All of the above might be triggering today. So deal with it, or don’t consume art.” He lauded Dench for her “wisdom” and praised her for “lighting the way to sanity.”
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