“House of the Dragon” has a less white cast than “Game of Thrones,” which came before it. But a co-creator of the show told “TheGrill,” an interview series from TheWrap, on Tuesday that the decision to add more diversity to the sci-fi and fantasy genre wasn’t meant to appeal to left-wing ideas.
Ryan Condal said, “I don’t think it was that easy.” “I think it was a good choice because it was well thought out. It wasn’t just done as a formality, to check a box, or to be seen as forward-thinking.”
Condal, also the showrunner for the HBO show, said something else that seemed to go against what he had just said.
He said, “It’s 2022.” “These shows used to be made in a different time. We have a very diverse audience that isn’t just in the United States but also in other countries. They come from all over the world, speak many different languages, and come in every color under the sun. And it was essential to see some of that on screen.
“This is a world from a story. This would be a more interesting discussion if it were a piece of historical fiction. But I think that because this is a fantasy world with dragons, shape-shifters, and dire wolves, we can believe that not everyone in the story is white.
Steve Toussaint, a British actor with Barbadian roots, plays Corlys Velaryon in “House of the Dragon.” Corlys Velaryon is also known as the Sea Snake.
Because of this, members of House Velaryon, a well-known family in the series whose members are essential to the plot, have darker skin and silvery-white or sometimes dreadlocked hair. (However, not everyone with the last name Velaryon fits this description.)
This is different from what the show was based on. In the book “Fire & Blood” by George R.R. Martin, the Velaryons are said to have white skin, pale hair, and purple eyes.
This has led Westeros purists to say racist things about Toussaint on the internet.
Condal said on “TheGrill” that the decision to make House Velaryon Black came from the family’s unique role in the franchise, as Martin noted years ago.
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Condal said, “We chose the Velaryons because they seemed like the most fantastical race in the show. They seemed to be from a lost continent we didn’t know much about.”
“We know they all have silver hair, and some like dragons. And we know they are seen as being closer to gods than people, as in the books and the show. So, how does all that look?
“This article where George said that when he first started writing these books, he thought about making all of the Velaryons blacks always stick with him. Black people with silver hair have always been my strong image.”
Condal also said that “House of the Dragon” takes place around the same time as the fall of Valyria, which is part of the series’ story.
“I said, ‘Well, Valyria was this huge continent, a country with many different kinds of people that fell into the sea. He asked, “Why couldn’t there have been a family of Black Velaryons in that story?”
“I think if you’re willing to take that first step of suspending your disbelief, you’ll see that it fits in with the show and is a natural part of it.”
The showrunner also said that having a Black family on the show helps “people on screen and remembering who’s from what house.” He also said that this helps show that Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen’s children, who look very white and have the last name Velaryon, may not be her natural children.
Condal said, “I think there are a lot of visual benefits to it.” “And because Corlys’s family tree is so long and varied, it only takes one turn on him to cast Steve Toussaint to make his whole family a diverse cast. And it’s a great way to add a lot of new faces to the show that you might not have seen in other high fantasy shows or in the original series.
Premiere Date
There are now two fantasy shows competing for viewers in online streaming. On August 21, 2022, the first ten episodes will premiere on House of the Dragon. It’ll have to compete with Amazon’s The Rings of Power, another massive fantasy release set for September 2.
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