Steve Toussaint at the ‘House of the Dragon’ premiere in London on August 15, 2022. David Fisher/Sky UK Limited/Shutterstock
House of the DragonStar Steve Toussaint opened up about the racist backlash he faced after getting cast on HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones spinoff.
The Judge Dredd actor, 57, will play the franchise’s first Black lead character, Corys Velaryon, in the prequel series, which premieres on Sunday, August 21. “I didn’t realize it was a bigger deal until I was racially abused on social media when it was announced,” the U.K. native told The Hollywood ReporterIn an interview published Monday, August 15. “Yeah, that s–t happened.”
After his casting was announced in February 2021, Toussaint recalled that a social media user shared an artist’s rendering of Corlys and expressed their disappointment that he was chosen for the role. “Then someone else referred to me by the N-word,” the Doctor WhoAddition by an alum. “There was also a Black American chap who is a big fan of the show who contacted me saying that he gets abuse because he championed me for the part.”
Toussaint was shocked at the racist comments but he explained that they tried to not let it affect him. “On platforms like Reddit, which I’m not on, there are such discussions going on about it,” he said. “I was like, ‘Oh wow,’ and then I thought, ‘OK, this means a lot to some people, but I can’t allow that to bother me.’”
The Prince of Persia star isn’t the first actor of color to speak out about facing racist abuse from alleged fans of sci-fi and fantasy series. John BoyegaFinn was played by, who was also in the most recent episode. Star WarsTrilogy, has been open about the fact he was subject to racist trolls affecting his experience of staring in the films. The Attack the BlockStar, 30, believes that racism is one of the reasons his character was left out as the films progress.
“What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience.’ Nah, nah, nah,” the London native told British GQSeptember 2020. “I’ll take that deal when it’s a great experience. They were very nuanced. Adam DriverAll the nuance. Daisy Ridley. Let’s be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam is aware of this. Everyone knows. I’m not exposing anything.”
Earlier in the year Ewan McGregor slammed so-called Star WarsFans for sending hateful messages Moses IngramReva was played by, in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Steve Toussaint in ‘House of the Dragon.’ Olly Upton/HBO
“It seems that some of the fan base, from this influential fan base, have decided to attack Moses Ingram online and send her the most horrendous, racist DMs,” the Moulin Rouge!In a video posted via Twitter in May, the actor, 51, said this. “I heard some of them this morning and it just broke my heart. It was so distressing to hear that this was happening. We stand by Moses, we love Moses. And if you’re sending her bullying messages, you’re no Star Wars fan in my mind.”
The 28-year-old actress disclosed that Lucasfilm executives had warned her that she would likely be harassed by racists before the show aired. Star Wars viewers. “It was something that Lucasfilm actually got in front of, and said, ‘This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen. But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens,’” Ingram told The IndependentMay
The Queen’s Gambit alum went on to note that she has “no problem” blocking social media users sending her racist messages, adding that she was pleased Obi-Wan Kenobi would “bring the most diversity” to the Star Wars universe.
“To me, it’s long overdue,” she explained. “If you’ve got talking droids and aliens, but no people of color, it doesn’t make any sense. It’s 2022, you know. So, we’re just at the beginning of that change. But I think to start that change is better than never having started it.”
House of the DragonPremieres on HBO Sunday, August 21st at 9 p.m. ET.
