Game of Thrones was a tremendous hit for HBO, an Emmy favorite, and had amassed a huge fanbase over the years. After Game of Thrones fans demanded that their upcoming book be boycotted, Linda Antonsson and Elio M. Garca Jr. retaliated against the accusations of racism. A “deluxe reference book,” The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One was written by a married couple, who have been working with George RR Martin for 20 years.
However, following Martin’s Twitter announcement, there was a fan backlash, with many calling for a boycott in response to Antonsson’s posts lamenting the underrepresentation of performers of color in Hollywood. Toussaint believed the earlier failures were fated to fail after being offered the part of Corlys, a seafaring explorer known as the Sea Snake.
I kind of thought: ‘Oh, I get it’. When we were criminals and pirates and slaves in the other show, you were OK with that. But as this guy is the richest [character] in the show and he’s a nobleman, now you have a problem with it. In House Of The Dragon [our colour] is just a given – I quite like that. I don’t want this to be my story. But I’m not going to deny that it happened. Because it does. It’s out there. And it should never be something that puts someone off from doing something they want to do.
The actor also acknowledged that he has had a long-standing desire to join the fantasy series. He tried out for Game of Thrones season 5 but was rejected, and he later hoped to get a part in The Long Night, another prequel series that was later canceled.
Toussaint believed the earlier failures were fated to fail after being offered the part of Corlys, a seafaring explorer known as the Sea Snake. Stay tuned to Thirsty for the latest news and updates.