It seems that for some reason, unbeknownst even to the wisest of us, there are certain parts of the Game of Thrones fandom who can suspend their disbelief about literal dragons flying over medieval make-believe cities, but just can’t stand it when a person of color plays a rich lord. At least that’s according to House of the Dragon star Steve Toussaint, who has recently found himself on the unfortunate end of the online community’s occasional bout of racism.
Toussaint portrays Corlys Velaryon, head of House Velaryon, who are the second most powerful dynasty in Westeros after the Targaryens. The Velaryons have no dragons of their own, but their might resides in the largest fleet in all the Seven Kingdoms, with Corlys himself, nicknamed the Sea Snake, commanding them.
The actor recently had a chat with Men’s Health magazine (per Variety) and blasted racists who come after him only because of the color of his skin.
“It seems to be very hard for people to swallow,” he said. “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.”
Toussaint brings up an interesting point. In a fantasy world where there are dragons, undead zombies, and red priestesses giving birth to demon assassin babies, is it much of a stretch to assume there can be people of color with silvery hair? At any rate, regardless of whether people like him or not, or if Toussaint’s appearance is lore accurate, the character of Corlys Velaryon is going to be with us for a long while.
The next episode of House of the Dragon premieres next Saturday across HBO platforms.
