House Of The Dragon actor Steve Toussaint recently opened up about racism from viewers of the hit HBO series.
In an interview with Men’s Health published on Aug. 22, Toussaint recalled that many fans of the series complained about his casting, saying he wasn’t true to the book’s original characters.
“It seems to be very hard for people to swallow,” he said about viewers’ reactions to his role as Lord Corlys Velaryon, aka the Sea Snake–the richest man in House Of The Dragon‘s fictional continent of Westeros.
“They are happy with a dragon flying, they’re happy with white hair and violet-colored eyes, but a rich Black guy? That’s beyond the pale,” he added, regarding the racism allegedly he faced.
The British actor of Bajan descent also revealed how he landed his role on the show.
“My agency said, ‘There’s a project and here are some scenes. It might be a big thing,'” he said. “They changed all the names, and my partner, who was reading it with me, was like, ‘This character sounds like Charles Dance’s Tywin, and it turned out to be a scene with him and Diana Rigg. It wasn’t until I had my first virtual meeting with the showrunners that I had any idea it was in that Game of Thrones universe.”
He additionally described how he felt about producers asking him to stop shaving to achieve his unique character’s look.
“When they asked me to stop shaving, I was like, ‘Oh no!’ I’m not a big fan of the beard, but it’s part of the look,” he said. “It’s striking. Even if the show doesn’t do well, I will look good, and that’s what’s important!”
Toussaint’s extensive acting career dates all the way back to 1994, with his role of Steve Dixie in the British TV series, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. He most recently appeared in the BBC show Doctor Who (2020), the film Red, White and Blue starring award-winning actor John Boyega (2021), and the British drama It’s a Sin (2021).
