House of the Dragon star hits back at racist viewers who have sent him vile online abuse

House of the Dragon star Steve Toussaint has called out viewers of the Game of Thrones prequel series who have complained about his casting. 

The first episode of the highly-anticipated series aired over the weekend with Toussaint playing Lord Corlys Velaryon who sits as an advisor to King Viserys Targaryen.

Following the episode airing, Toussaint’s character copped the brunt of complaints from viewers.

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Toussaint told Men’s Health: “It seems to be very hard for people to swallow. They are happy with a dragon flying. They’re happy with white hair and violet-coloured eyes, but a rich black guy? That’s beyond the pale.”

Within George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, from which House of the Dragon is adapted, Lord Corlys is described as 'Targaryen white-blonde', which led to many imagining the character as fair-skinned just as the many of his ancestors.

However, the character is never definitively described as white.

And as Toussaint explains, it also seems ridiculous in a world full of dragons and magic that the concept of a non-white character in a position of power is the idea that viewers take exception to.

Despite the negativity that Toussaint has experienced he says that he has found great support on the other end of the spectrum.

He continued: “What has been wonderful is for every toxic person that has somehow found their way into my timeline, there have been so many others who have been so supportive and been like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t wait, this is going to be great!'” 

“Even when we were doing certain scenes, there would be supporting artists who would come up and go, ‘It’s great to have this representation.'”

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The first episode of the House of the Dragon became the most watched series premiere in HBO history.

A whopping 10 million people in the US tuned in to watch the first episode of the stunning new TV show from the brain of George R.R. Martin.

There was a hell of a lot of hype for the Game of Thrones prequel, so it's no surprise to see it attract loads of viewers.

Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer at HBO and HBO Max, said in a statement: "It was wonderful to see millions of Game of Thrones fans return with us to Westeros last night. 

"House of the Dragon features an incredibly talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into the production, and we're ecstatic with viewers' positive response.

"We look forward to sharing with audiences what else George, Ryan, and Miguel have in store for them this season."