The Shards Tackle Bret's Past | Raleigh News

0:00It's September 3rd. This is Raleigh News Today, powered by AI. The FX show, The Shard Stack ought a sensitive subject this week, depicting a fictionalized version of author Brett Easton Ellis' past sexual assault. The episodes show the character Brett being blackmailed with a tape, revealing a hotel room encounter with his girlfriend's father. The show aim for accuracy and sensitivity, avoiding gratuitous or sexualized portrayals. Brett producer Brad Simpson explained that this event is a significant part of the character's story, and reflects experiences common for gay men. Of a certain generation, where first sexual encounters were often with older men, and not always consensual. The narrative highlights how Brett was being groomed throughout the season, even if he didn't recognize it as such at the time, reflecting a different, societal understanding of such situations back in the 1980s. The showrunners work to balance the character's perspective in the moment, with his adult self's later understanding of the trauma. They use language from the book to describe the events, aiming for graphic accuracy while

1:04giving the narrator more self-awareness about what truly happened. The focus was on showing what led up to the event and the aftermath, rather than dwelling on the act itself. This approach aimed to stay true to the source material, which is quite graphic in its descriptions. The team adjusted some language to allow the future. Brett, the narrator, to process the event with more insight. The character in the 1980s, as depicted in the show, didn't initially perceive the situation as an assault, but rather as something he had to endure. The series, which draws heavily from Ellis's novel, sought to portray this difficult experience with care. The producers emphasize the importance of depicting the event accurately and with sensitivity, acknowledging the complexities and the evolving, understanding of consent and assault, especially for young men in those circumstances.