Game of Thrones has had the most amazing fanbase in the history of TV shows. A show that was loved by viewers for nearly a decade has a dedicated following, and some of the fans who have followed George R. R. Martin’s work for a long time know that there were several changes that were made in the TV show. The upcoming prequel House of The Dragon falls in the same ballpark, even though showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryann Condal both vouch for the show’s closeness to the source material. And some of the changes made a certain section of fans really, really mad.

House of The Dragon tapped in Steve Toussaint to play Corlys Velaryon in the upcoming prequel, and his appearance is different from that of the Velaryons in Martin’s books. Since Velaryons are an offshoot clan stemming from the Targaryens, fans have complained that they should look more similar to the white haired-pale skinned dragonlords.

However, this outrage had a negative effect on the actor himself rather than on those who actually came up with the concept. Toussaint had to face racial abuse on social media for his casting, something that he revealed in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Toussaint said, “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.’ I loved ‘Game of Thrones,’ but my only caveat was, ‘Where’s everybody else in this world?’” the “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”. Because it’s a diverse world [George R.R.] Martin has created if you look [beyond Westeros], and I think this show comes closer to that.”

What do you think of Toussaint’s casting? Tell us in the comments below!