House of the Dragon Actor Received Racial Abuse After Casting

“There was also a black American man who is a huge fan of the show who contacted me and said he was being bullied because he defended me for the role,” Toussaint said. “On platforms like Reddit, which I’m not on, there are discussions about this. I thought, ‘Oh, wow’, and then I thought, ‘OK, it means a lot to some people,’ but I can’t let that bother me.”

Toussaint is far from the first actor of color to receive racist messages online after being cast in a high-profile project.

“Someone I’ve known for a long time had it [when he was cast on a Marvel project]”, – said the actor. “My friend who played Hermione in the stage version Harry Potter, she understood. I worked with [Star Wars: The Force Awakens actor] John Boyega, and he got it. If it bothers you so much, don’t watch it.”

More recently, Obi-Wan Kenobi actress Moses Ingram received an influx of hate mail after the show premiered on Disney+ in May.

“There’s nothing anyone can do about it,” the actress wrote on Instagram at the time. “There is nothing anyone can do to stop this hatred. I question my goals even as I stand here in front of you and say this is happening. I don’t really know.”