House of the Dragon’s Steve Toussaint Details Racist Abuse He Received After Casting: ‘That S–t Happened’

usmagazine.com:

House of the Dragon star Steve Toussaint opened up about the racist backlash he faced after getting cast on HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones spinoff.The Judge Dredd actor, 57, will play the franchise’s first Black lead character, Corys Velaryon, in the prequel series, which premieres on Sunday, August 21. “I didn’t realize it was a bigger deal until I was racially abused on social media when it was announced,” the U.K.

native told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Monday, August 15. “Yeah, that s–t happened.”After his casting was announced in February 2021, Toussaint recalled that a social media user shared an artist’s rendering of Corlys and expressed their disappointment that he was chosen for the role. “Then someone else referred to me by the N-word,” the Doctor Who alum added. “There was also a Black American chap who is a big fan of the show who contacted me saying that he gets abuse because he championed me for the part.”Toussaint was surprised by the racist commentary, but he explained that he tried not to let it affect him. “On platforms like Reddit, which I’m not on, there are such discussions going on about it,” he said. “I was like, ‘Oh wow,’ and then I thought, ‘OK, this means a lot to some people, but I can’t allow that to bother me.’”The Prince of Persia star isn’t the first actor of color to speak out about facing racist abuse from alleged fans of sci-fi and fantasy series. John Boyega, who played Finn in the most recent Star Wars trilogy, has been open about the fact that racist trolls diminished his experience of starring in the films.

The Attack the Block star, 30, also believes racism was one reason his character was sidelined as the movies progressed.“What they want you to say is, ‘I