‘House of the Dragon’s Corlys Velaryon Speaks Out About Racist Comments
The actor behind House of the Dragon’s Corlys Velaryon, richest man in Westeros, is being harassed because he’s Black.
One of the many criticisms Game of Thrones faced was a lack of diversity in its large ensemble cast. The few actors of color were pushed into side roles. House of the Dragon co-showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik kept that in mind during the casting process.
“The world changed a lot between 2011 and 2021 and [so did] what audiences expect to see on camera. The conversations Miguel and I had were: How do we create a diverse cast for House of the Dragon? But still do it in a way that feels organic to the world and doesn’t feel like pandering or tokenism. And also have them not be pirates, slaves and mercenaries like you tend to see in high fantasies?”
One of their choices is someone we didn’t hear a lot from in the first episode but is a major player in Westeros: Corlys Velaryon. The head of House Velaryon and husband of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen controlled the largest fleet in Westeros. Due to this, he made House Velaryon the richest of the houses with a new seat at High Tide and growing cities under his domain. In the Dance of Dragons he backed Rhaenyra. He’s a force to be reckoned with.
via HBO
House of the Dragon’s Corlys Velaryon is Black – Get Over It
The actor behind the character in House of the Dragon, Steve Toussaint, has been a fan of the universe for a while. After his casting was announced, he came up against a particular part of the GoT fandom. Last year he talked to The Hollywood Reporter about the racial abuse and epithets hurled at him by ‘fans’ of the franchise.
“I didn’t realize [the casting] was a big deal until I was racially abused on social media. 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.”
In a recent interview with Men’s Health, the actor touched on the subject again.
“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-colored eyes, but a rich Black guy? That’s beyond the pale.”
We’ve seen this happen with Marvel, DC, and the upcoming Lord of the Rings series too. A vast world like Westeros and its surrounding lands with just white people is unrealistic and not historically accurate (if you care about those things in your fantasy fiction, that is). If you can accept dragon riding and all of the other fantastical things in Game of Thrones, you should be able to accept a Black noble house in Westeros. It’s that simple.
Photo Ollie Upton via HBO
In the interview with Men’s Health, Toussaint also spoke about the work he put in for the physical scenes and his understanding of Corlys Velaryon.
“But ultimately, for me, what his engine is, is the fact that he’s trying to elevate his family, elevate his name. When his wife was passed over for the crown, he seems to take it much more personally than she does. Ambition is his driving force for most of the season… He’s all about legacy and about getting as close as possible to the throne.”
I’m looking forward to seeing the role he and House Velaryon plays in all of this Targaryen drama this season. New episodes of The House of the Dragon drop on HBO and HBOMax on Sunday evenings.
