House of the Dragon's Steve Toussaint slams racist viewers of the show

24 August 2022, 17:26

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By Sam Prance

Steve Toussaint has responded to racist trolls who don't think that he should play Corlys because he's Black.

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House of the Dragon star Steve Toussaint is calling out racist trolls who don't think that he should play Lord Corlys Velaryon.

As soon as the first episode of House of the Dragon debuted on HBO on Sunday (Aug 21), fans immediately fell in love with Steve Toussaint and his portrayal of Lord Corlys Velaryon. Married to Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), Corlys is head of the House of Velaryon and one of King Viserys' closest advisors. He's also hilariously shady and Steve captures him perfectly.

Nevertheless, some racist fans of the Game of Thrones spin-off have taken issue with Corlys being Black and now Steve is clapping back at them.

House of the Dragon's Steve Toussaint slams racist trolls who say Corlys can't be Black. Picture: HBO / LANDMARK MEDIA / Alamy Stock Photo

Speaking with Men's Health about the racist backlash to him playing Corlys, Steve said: "It seems to be very hard for people to swallow. They are happy with a dragon flying. They’re happy with white hair and violet-coloured eyes, but a rich Black guy? That’s beyond the pale."

Steve continued: "What has been wonderful is for every toxic person that has somehow found their way into my timeline, there have been so many others who have been so supportive and been like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t wait, this is going to be great!"

He finished by saying: "Even when we were doing certain scenes, there would be supporting artists who would come up and go, ‘It’s great to have this representation.'"

"House Of The Dragon" Sky Group Premiere VIP Arrivals. Picture: Getty

Despite the racist backlash, Corlys' race is never actually specified in George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood novels. He's simply described as having "Targaryen white-blonde" hair. In keeping with the book, Steve has white-blonde hair in the series.

House of the Dragon season 1 will continue to air with weekly episodes on HBO this Sunday.