There is little doubt that Lord Corlys Velaryon is going to be one of the most important characters to watch out for in House of the Dragon. However, some people were not happy when it was announced that The Sea Snake will be portrayed by a Black actor. Steve Toussaint has just revealed that the casting led to him receiving racial abuse on social media because people were unhappy about the character, who is described as being white in the books, will be portrayed by an actor of Barbadian descent.
Early last year, it was announced that Steve Toussaint has been cast as Lord Corlys Velaryon aka The Sea Snake in the Game of Thrones spin-off show. The news was a surprise for people since the Velaryons are described as having pale skin, silver hair, and violet eyes just like the Targaryens. And although most fans were excited about the casting, Toussaint has confirmed that not everyone was happy about him joining the cast.
Steve Toussaint recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about being in House of the Dragon and he revealed that he didn't expect to get as much attention as he did, and how it wasn't necessarily positive attention.
"I didn’t realize [the casting] was a big deal until I was racially abused on social media,” Toussaint said. However, he was also quick to point out that he was determined to ignore the negativity.
"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 said.
It's great to know that Steve Toussaint is keeping a positive attitude despite all the backlash. With that in mind, we can't wait to see The Sea Snake in action next month.
House of the Dragon premieres on HBO on August 21, 2022.
Related: House of the Dragon Will Only Feature Flawed Characters Unlike Game of Thrones' Arya Stark
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!