Jason Momoa has criticised a reporter's "icky" question about his Game of Thrones character Khal Drogo and scenes involving sexual violence.
In the pilot episode of the HBO fantasy series, Khal Drogo sexually assaults Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) on their wedding night, while in the original text from George R.R. Martin it was a consensual encounter.
In an interview for The New York Times, journalist David Marchese asked Momoa if he thinks differently, or had any regrets, about the scenes of sexual assault, and if he would do one now.
Momoa replied: "Well, it was important to depict Drogo and his style. You’re playing someone that’s like Genghis Khan. It was a really, really, really hard thing to do.
"But my job was to play something like that, and it’s not a nice thing, and it’s what that character was. It’s not my job to go, 'Would I not do it?'
"I’ve never really been questioned about 'Do you regret playing a role?' We’ll put it this way: I already did it. Not doing it again."
However, Momoa later circled back to the question and admitted that it "left a bad feeling in my stomach".
He said: "When you brought up Game of Thrones, you brought up stuff about what's happening with my character and would I do it again.
"I was bummed when you asked me that. It just feels icky - putting it upon me to remove something. As if an actor even had the choice to do that.
"We’re not really allowed to do anything. There are producers, there are writers, there are directors, and you don’t get to come in and be like, 'I’m not going do that because this isn’t kosher right now and not right in the political climate.' That never happens.
"So it’s a question that feels icky. I just wanted you to know that."
