Steve Toussaint Reveals He Was ‘Racially Abused On Social Media’ Over ‘House Of The Dragon’ Casting.

etcanada.com:

One of the stars of HBO’s upcoming “House of the Dragon” is revealing he was hit with racist backlash after being cast in the hugely anticipated “Game of Thrones” spin-off.

Steve Toussaint — who plays Lord Corlys Velaryon, a.k.a. the Sea Snake, a descendent of Old Valyria (just like the Targaryens) and the wealthiest man in Westeros — opened up about being blindsided by racism after the casting announcement. READ MORE: Matt Smith, Paddy Considine & More Take You Inside ‘House Of The Dragon’, The ‘Game Of Thrones’ Spinoff “I didn’t realize [the casting] was a big deal until I was racially abused on social media,” Toussaint told The Hollywood Reporter. “Yeah, that s**t happened,” he confirmed. “I was just like, ‘Oh wow,’ and then I thought, ‘Okay, so this means a lot to some people, but I can’t allow that to bother me.’” While Toussaint was a big fan of “Game of Thrones”, he’s adamant that any TV series “still has to reflect a world,” even one set in a fantasy world. “I loved ‘Game of Thrones,’ but my only caveat was, ‘Where’s everybody else in this world?’” he explained. “Because it’s a diverse world [George R.R.] Martin has created if you look [beyond Westeros], and I think this show comes closer to that.” According to Ryan Condal, showrunner on “House of the Dragons” alongside Miguel Sapochnik, diversity was something that was part of the show’s fabric from the beginning. READ MORE: War Threatens Westeros In First Full-Length Trailer For ‘Game Of Thrones’ Spinoff ‘House Of The Dragon’ “We knew from the outset that we wanted to change that conversation,” Condal told THR. “The world changed a lot between 2011 and 2021 and [so did] what audiences expect to see on camera.