Do not be slow! Whoopi GoldbergShe and her cohosts on The ViewFans of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerAnd House of the Dragon who feel the shows are too ‘woke’ — questioning if their complaints are racially motivated.
“Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerAnd [the] Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, are both massive hits but they don’t exist in the real world,” Goldberg, 66, said on the Tuesday, September 6, episode of the daytime talk show. “There are no dragons, no hobbits. And there are critics who are saying they were too ‘woke’ by adding diverse characters. Are you telling me Black people can’t be fake people too? I don’t know if there’s like a hobbit club, or there’s going to be protests, but what is wrong with y’all?”
TheSister Act star went on to explain why arguing that people of color shouldn’t play hobbits, elves and other fantasy characters is illogical, reminding fans that both shows are “not real.”
Assisting host Sunny HostinFor her part,, she shared that some viewers feel it is easier to have people of color in LOTROr GOT “betrays the source material,” before seconding Goldberg’s sentiment.
Steve Toussaint in ‘House of the Dragon.’ Olly Upton/HBO
“What I think is fascinating is, like, dragons are okay, fire-breathing dragons, and people with white hair that are born like that when they’re little, and violet eyes, but the Black people in it is just a bridge too far for these folks,” the New York native, 53, said.
“It’s just racist. Call it what it is,” declared Joy Behar.
Goldberg brought up the issue of imminent Little MermaidLive-action remake will premiere in May 2023. Halle Bailey — a Black woman in the role of Ariel.
“I don’t want to upset any mermaids who are watching the show, because I know there are many communities of mermaids of various colors,” the Star Trek alum quipped. “And you know why there can be? Because it’s the world that we would like to see. We would like to see as many people represented in fantasy as exists.”
The Ghost actress concluded the discussion by delivering a direct message to those who call for only white characters in Middle-earth and Westeros: “All of y’all who have problems because there are Black hobbits? Get a job. Find a job and start looking for it. Because you are focused on the wrong stuff,” she said.
Last month House of the DragonStar Steve ToussaintHe opened up about the racism he experienced after being cast in the HBO spinoff.
“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 ReporterInterview published Monday, August 15. “Yeah, that s–t happened.”
The Doctor Who alum, 57, portrays the franchise’s first Black lead character, Corys Velaryon, in the prequel series, which premiered in August. 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 Judge DreddAddition 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 admitted that he was surprised at the amount of racist comments, but he also said that he tried to not let it get to his head.
On platforms like Reddit, which I’m not on, there are such discussions going on about it,” he revealed. “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.’”
