Joel Kinnaman has defended upcoming sci-fi series Altered Carbon over criticism of its graphic use of violence against women.
The House Of Cards star said Netflix’s latest offering has “equal opportunity violence for both genders” after early reviews spoke of extreme violence towards women and children.
He told the Press Association violence against women is “central to the story” as his character, Takeshi Kovacs, grew up watching his father beat his mother.
“Because there are women that are getting hurt and that is very central to why Kovacs gets so emotionally engaged with this,” Kinnaman added.
Based on the 2002 science fiction novel of the same name by British author Richard K Morgan, the show depicts prisoner Kovacs who, having returned to life after 250 years, is forced to solve a murder.
Kinnaman’s co-stars Renee Elise Goldsberry and James Purefoy also hit back at criticism, with the former saying it would be criminal to consider women as being weak in the 10-part series.
“They’re not damsels in distress in this show, and I think it’s important to see and to recognise that, and to miss that, that would be a crime,” she said.
Purefoy praised showrunner Laeta Kalogridis for putting a “feminist perspective” on Morgan’s book.
“She has amplified characters that aren’t as big in the book, they are much bigger in the show, and I think also she’s holding a mirror up to nature – there’s a hell of a lot of violence against women in this world.
“But it’s about context, it’s about what you choose to show, it’s about what your intention is. Trust her, she knows what she’s doing,” he said.
– Altered Carbon will be available on Netflix from Friday February 2