Steve Toussaint is opening up about the less than welcoming response he got from fans of Game of Thrones after he was cast in the prequel series, House of the Dragon.
The 57-year-old actor portrays Lord Corlys Velaryon, the leader of House Velayron in Westeros. In the books, written by George R.R.
Martin, the Velaryons are described as descendants from Old Valyria and their distinguishing features are pale skin and white (or silver) hair. Click inside to see what Steve shared about the comments he received from fans… In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Steve revealed that there was a flood of racial abuse towards him online. “I didn’t realize [the casting] was a big deal until I was racially abused on social media,” he said. “Yeah, that sh** happened.
I was just like, ‘Oh wow,’ and then I thought: ‘OK, so this means a lot to some people, but I can’t allow that to bother me.’” Steve added that while the world that George built is a fantasy, “it still has to reflect a world.” “I loved Game of Thrones, but my only caveat was, ‘Where’s everybody else in this world?’” he shared. “Because it’s a diverse world Martin has created if you look [beyond Westeros], and I think this show comes closer to that.” Steve also opened up about the character he portrays, saying that Lord Corlys Velaryon is “very much like: ‘I’m telling you the truth’ [and] ‘I don’t care if I hurt your feelings.’” However, “On the battlefield, it’s much simpler — you’re trying to kill me, I’m trying to kill you — and I think he likes that.” Watch the full trailer for House of the Dragon on Just Jared now!
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