‘House of the Dragon’ Star Steve Toussaint Slams Racist Viewers: ‘They’re Happy With a Dragon Flying’ but Not a ‘Rich Black Guy’

House of the Dragon fans were left "disgusted" after tuning into episode two of the show on Monday (August 28) night.Nothing was off limits when it came to Game of Thrones, and the same can be said for its prequel as fans were truly shocked at scenes that aired during last night's episode.Six months after the death of his wife, Queen Aemma Arryn, and their infant son, King Viserys was considering his options and was feeling pressured to marry again.READ MORE: House of the Dragon fans gobsmacked as Matt Smith strips naked for X-rated sceneRealising the King is on the hunt for a new bride, Lord Corlys Velaryon took it upon himself to put his 12-year-old daughter, Laena in the running.Lord Corlys, who is married to the King's cousin, Princess Rhaenys, introduces the King to his pre-pubescent daughter and proposes that she would make an ideal candidate to take the spot next to him on the throne.And while Game of Thrones included harrowing scenes of rape, torture, incest, it seems Viserys considering this proposal also sparked outrage with fans as many took to social media expressing outrage over the notable age-gap between the pair.One wrote: "I know #HouseOfTheDragonHBO is based on a period of time centuries ago but this possibly arranged marriage with a child is disgusting.""I felt sick to my stomach watching that guy try to sell off his 12 year old daughter. #HouseoftheDragon," claimed another.A third stated: "This is getting disgusting with them marrying children.

Jordan Moreau SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the second episode of “House of the Dragon,” titled “The Rogue Prince,” now streaming on HBO Max. In the dating world of Westeros, age is just a number. After losing his wife Queen Aemma last episode —which took place six months ago in the “House of the Dragon” timeline” — King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) felt the pressure to find a new wife and start making royal heirs. Any Westeros king would do the same thing, but the disturbing part is that Viserys’ cousin Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) was playing matchmaker with her own daughter, the way-underage Lady Laena Velaryon (Nova Foueillis-Mose). Incest isn’t new to the world of “Game of Thrones” or the Targaryens, but the age difference between Viserys and Laena was almost as stomach-churning as last week’s medieval C-section performed on the queen.

, maneuvering for the Iron Throne continues despite the fact that King Viserys (Paddy Considine) has named Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) his successor -- and that council pledged to honor the decision when the day comes for her to wear the crown. One of those people still positioning for the seat of power is Lord Corlys Velaryon, aka the Sea Snake, played by Steve Toussaint. The actor tells ET that his character is full of pride and resentment and still reeling from what happened to his wife, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), many years prior. “He doesn’t hide the fact that it irks him that his wife is not on the throne,” Toussaint says, not hiding the fact that he thinks Rhaenys is a far more qualified ruler than her cousin, Viserys.

After the premiere of the highly-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel, HBO has now released the House of the Dragon opening credits as the second episode of the fantasy drama aired.

has been renewed for season 2. The news comes less than a week after the prequel premiered on HBO, becoming the most viewed debut of any new original series in the premium cable channel’s history. Now seen by over 20 million viewers, the first episode of the series set up a battle of succession for the Iron Throne as it jumped back nearly 200 years to explore the height of the Targaryen family, which reigned over King’s Landing at the time. Adapted from George R.R.

HBO has given House of the Dragon an early renewal for Season 2.

Ethan Shanfeld When “Stranger Things” first aired on Netflix in 2016, its main cast ranged from around 12 to 14 years old, matching the age of their seventh grade characters. But as it progressed, the series’ timeline moved slower than real life, and soon enough, the young actors were hitting puberty before their characters, creating a challenge for the show’s directors and producers. According to Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers on the hit sci-fi show, a producer approached him during an earlier season and asked if he could raise the pitch of his voice and change his posture to better emulate Will’s age. While Will is either 14 or 15 in Season 4 of “Stranger Things,” Schnapp is nearing 18.

Naman Ramachandran “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” debuted on HBO Max in Europe with the largest ever audience for any new series or movie on a HBO streaming service. The first episode went live on HBO Max in 21 European countries across the Nordics, Netherlands, Central Eastern Europe and Iberia at 3am CET on Monday. “The platform saw unprecedented demand starting in the early hours which peaked on Monday evening,” an HBO statement said. Viewing numbers were not provided. A spokesperson for HBO Max said: “ ‘House of the Dragon’ is by far the biggest launch in the history of HBO and HBO Max in Europe, breaking previous records for a new title. The number of viewers for the first episode exceeded all expectations.”

Games of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon has become the most watched HBO/HBO Max TV or film premiere in Europe in the network’s history.

the new HBO series, which premiered Sunday.The British actor, 57, told Men’s Health that several fans said his casting was not true to the book’s depiction of members of House Velaryon.“It seems to be very hard for people to swallow,” said Toussaint of his character, who is the richest man in Westeros.“They are happy with a dragon flying, they’re happy with white hair and violet-colored eyes, but a rich Black guy? That’s beyond the pale.”According to the book “Fire & Blood,” the source material for “House of the Dragon,” Lord Corlys is never stated to be white but is said to have hair that is “Targaryen white-blonde.”“When they asked me to stop shaving, I was like, ‘Oh no!’ I’m not a big fan of the beard, but it’s part of the look. It’s striking,” he said of his character known as the Sea Snake.

is off to a flying start. HBO's prequel — set 200 years before Daenerys Targaryen's quest for the Iron Throne — scored nearly 10 million viewers in its Sunday night debut, making it the most highly-rated original new series premiere in the history of HBO. Officially, the cable network reports 9.986 million viewers across both linear and HBO Max streaming platforms in the United States on Sunday night -- even as the streaming app crashed on Amazon Fire TV devices, leaving a portion of potential viewers in the dark. A press release from HBO indicates that Sunday's viewership is expected to make up just a small portion — 20 to 40 percent — of the show's total gross audience. While a direct comparison would be impossible to nail down -- due in part to shifting landscapes in streaming and evolving fandoms — the and both note that first season premiered to 4.2 million viewers in 2011, while its eighth and final season premiere was watched by a record-setting 17.9 million people in 2019. brings to life George R.R.

Following numerous setbacks in auditioning for parts in the Game of Thrones universe, British actor Steve Toussaint was finally cast as Corlys Velaryon for the prequel House of the Dragon. In landing the role, the 57-year-old became the franchise's first black lead character.

House of the Dragon made history in its debut Sunday evening on HBO and HBO Max, as the Game of Thrones prequel garnered 9.99 million viewers - the largest ever in the network's history - Warner Bros. Discovery said Monday.The ratings for the debut marked the biggest numbers ranging back before the streaming era, and shows that later debuted on the since-shuttered HBO Now and HBO Go, according to Variety.

Selome Hailu Westeros came back to HBO last night with the series premiere of “House of the Dragon” — and brought the masses along with it.“House of the Dragon” drew in 9.99 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max after premiering with one episode on Sunday, according to Warner Bros. Discovery.“Game of Thrones” has remained HBO’s biggest hit of all time since concluding in 2019, and as its prequel series, “House of the Dragon” is arguably the project to get the most marketing and fanfare from the network since.

House Of The Dragon star Emma D’Arcy has spoken about the more central role of women in the new Game Of Thrones spin-off.The star, who is non-binary, plays the role of female Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in the new prequel show, and spoke to NME about the series.When asked about a quote from co-star Steve Toussaint where he spoke about being able to tell that House Of The Dragon has been made post-MeToo given the more central role of women, D’Arcy suggested it was not “any accident”.“[Showrunners] Ryan [Condal] and Miguel [Sapochnik] spoke very clearly and determinedly to both of us, even in the midst of the audition process in saying that this is a story structured around two women,” they said.“And Miguel says a nice thing about that being a good enough reason to return to Westeros, which is a universe that requires such respect that he needed a good enough reason to brave the return journey.”D’Arcy and fellow star Olivia Cooke also spoke about what will surprise people most about the series, the latter admitting how “intimate” it is.“It’s such an intimate excavation of this one family,” Cooke said. “There’s a real closeness.”D’Arcy added: “Within that family environment, the show is quite brave and exacting in its investigation of how sort of structural the patriarchy is.“There’s a fundamental groundwork within even a family unit.

“House of the Dragon” on Sunday evening — but some viewers were in for an infuriating night when the much-anticipated 10-episode series finally dropped after months of hype.So many fans were trying to stream the show simultaneously — that HBO Max actually crashed. This led to thousands of users not being able to watch the first episode.Many subscribers reportedly fell victim to the streamer’s app fizzling out, with the website outage service Down Detector reporting that there were at about 3,000 blackouts between 8:40 p.m. and 9:25 p,.m.

[Warning: Spoilers for episode 1 of “House of the Dragon”, “Heirs of the Dragon”, written by Ryan Condal and directed by Miguel Sapochnik.]

prequel,, premiered on Sunday, several beloved alumni could be spotted in a star-studded new mega trailer for the network's upcoming slate of programming. Most notably, perhaps: Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in brand new footage for their new series, . The show, based on the 2013 video game of the same name, will debut next year and follows a smuggler (Pascal) as he's tasked with escorting a teenage girl (Ramsey) through a post-apocalyptic world.

, the prequel, premiered with the first episode on Sunday, bringing to life George R.R. Martin’s.