The House of the Dragon series debuts next month. It is aiming to capture some Game of Thrones magic lost with the original show’s end and, while Steve Toussaint plays Lord Corlys Velaryo, some are not happy about the race swap and have abused him.
In a new article published today by The Hollywood Reporter, the Black actor — whose character is white in the book series the television shows are based on — says he did not realize his casting was a big deal until it happened and he is not fazed by it.
“I didn’t realize [the casting] was a big deal until I was racially abused on social media. Yeah, that shit 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.'”
Toussaint’s character is the richest man in Westeros in the era the show takes place in. He also says in the piece what audiences will see hews closer to the world George R.R. Martin has put down on paper over the years than the start of the franchise ever did.
“I loved Game of Thrones, but my only caveat was, ‘where’s everybody else in this world?’ Because it’s a diverse world Martin has created if you look [beyond Westeros], and I think this show comes closer to that.”
Aside from professional perspectives on the project, the story in The Hollywood Reporter confirms Martin has seen nine of the show’s initial 10 episodes in various stages. He is excited, says the characters are just like he wrote them and, while the work comes two weeks before Amazon’s project in the Lord of the Rings world, Martin says they are not competing and he wishes them well even though his A Song of Ice and Fire series began as a brutal counterpoint to the fantasy of Tolkien’s acclaimed trilogy.
“We’re not even on the same night! It’s not a death match or anything. I wish them success. I hope they wish for our success. We don’t have to be bracketed together.”
Game of Thrones is available to stream now on HBO Max.