Rape not a tool to make character stronger: Jessica Chastain on latest Games of Thrones episode

Two time Academy Award nominee and activist Jessica Chastain has accused Game of Thrones makers for justifying rape and sexual abuse for the evolution of Sansa Stark's character.

In the latest episode, Sandor 'The Hound' Clegane tells Sansa (played by Sophie Turner) that had she left King's Landing with him, she would not have faced villains like Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish and Ramsay Bolton. Sansa replies, "Without Littlefinger and Ramsay and the rest, I would have stayed a 'little bird' all my life," she says, using his nickname for her.

Chastain took to Twitter Tuesday to call out the HBO series for crediting Sansa's victimisation in order to grow. "Rape is not a tool to make a character stronger. A woman doesn't need to be victimized in order to become a butterfly. The little bird was always a Phoenix. Her prevailing strength is solely because of her. And her alone," wrote the actor.

Baelish, through the seasons, manipulated Sansa as per his needs while posing as her protector and mentor. In a severely criticised development, which was absent in George RR Martin's books, the fifth season of the series showed Ramsay rape Sansa on their wedding night. Turner, who plays Sansa, is yet to respond to the social media furore against the latest episode.

Incidentally, Jessica Chastain will next be seen in the Sophie Turner-starrer X-Men: Dark Phoenix in which the latter reprises her role as the telekinetic-telepath mutant, Jean Grey aka Phoenix