‘House of the Dragon’ Star Steve Toussaint Slams Racist Viewers: ‘They’re Happy With a Dragon Flying’ but Not a ‘Rich Black Guy’

Zack Sharf Whoopi Goldberg has a message for racist “Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones” fans: “Get a job!” During the Sept. 6 episode of “The View,” Goldberg and her co-hosts confronted the racist backlash that has met the recently launched fantasy series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” and “House of the Dragon.” Goldberg called out fans for accepting otherworldly creatures such as hobbits and dragons but not accepting Black actors. “They don’t exist in the real world,” Goldberg said of the two series. “You know that? There are no dragons. There are no hobbits. Are you telling me Black people can’t be fake people too? Is that what you’re telling me? I don’t know if there’s like a hobbit club, I don’t know if there are gonna be protests, but people! What is wrong with y’all?”

season premiere of “The View,” hitting back at the racist criticism of HBO’s “House of the Dragon” and Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”With the two new fantasy series making their marks and becoming hits, some fans — or wannabe critics — have been claiming the creators were “too woke” in adding diverse characters.Amazon introduced new racially diverse characters into the series, and some fans argued that J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t have intentions to populate Middle-earth with diverse creatures — despite Tolkien describing Harfoots as having “browner” skin.Goldberg, 66, responded to the discourse, starting with an acknowledgement that the worlds of the two fantasy shows “are not real,” and “there are no dragons, there are no hobbits.”“Are you telling me black people can’t be fake people, too?,” she said.

House Of The Dragon star Steve Toussaint has said he is “gutted” about showrunner Miguel Sapochnik’s departure from the series.The co-creator quit the Game Of Thrones prequel series after the second episode aired on HBO. He will continue to work on the show in a limited capacity as an executive producer, with fellow co-creator Ryan J. Condal now running the show on his own.“We have this English phrase ‘gutted’ and I was like, ‘Oh no,’” Toussaint, who plays Lord Corlys Velaryon (aka the Sea Snake), said during a recent appearance on Entertainment Weekly’s West of Westeros podcast.“I got a call from Ryan one night, just saying, ‘Listen, this is about to break.

George Chidi “What do you say to the unfortunate people on the internet who think Star Trek is too progressive?” Scott Beckett asked the panel of “Star Trek” series cast members in earnest on Saturday during a panel at the Dragon Con sci-fi and fantasy convention in Atlanta. The 39-year-old software engineer from Atlanta grew up watching “Star Trek” and it strongly shaped his beliefs, he said later. “It kind of built my values as a kid in a way because I didn’t have any other values, really.” The politics of “Star Trek” are familiar territory for cast members like Blu del Barrio, Wilson Cruz, Michelle Hurd and Anthony Rapp, who have played roles on “Star Trek: Discovery” and “Star Trek: Picard.” The four performers spoke in front of a thousand screaming fans in downtown Atlanta.

"Friends" actress Lisa Kudrow has been labeled "one of the worst humans" by "The Hills" star Spencer Pratt.  Chalk this one up to things you thought you'd never hear. If you're confused — rightfully so.  In an effortlessly raw TikTok, the reality star, who is known for his candor and sarcasm, was asked to comment on the rudest celebrity he had ever met.

Meghan Markle is speaking about her time in the public eye regarding royal family duties and the experiences she had with the British media along the way.

, maneuvering for the Iron Throne continues despite the fact that King Viserys (Paddy Considine) has named Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) his successor -- and that council pledged to honor the decision when the day comes for her to wear the crown. One of those people still positioning for the seat of power is Lord Corlys Velaryon, aka the Sea Snake, played by Steve Toussaint. The actor tells ET that his character is full of pride and resentment and still reeling from what happened to his wife, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), many years prior. “He doesn’t hide the fact that it irks him that his wife is not on the throne,” Toussaint says, not hiding the fact that he thinks Rhaenys is a far more qualified ruler than her cousin, Viserys.

The actor who played "Finn" in Disney's "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, John Boyega, says he's ready to move on from the franchise.  Currently, Boyega is set to star in the upcoming films "The Woman King" and "Breaking."  "At this point I’m cool off it. I’m good off it," Boyega said on the SiriusXM show "Tell Me Everything With John Fugelsang."  "I think Finn is at a good confirmation point where you can just enjoy him in other things, the games, the animation. But I feel like ‘[Episode] VII’ to ‘[Episode] IX’ was good for me," he added.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor John Boyega has never shied away from speaking out about the racist bullying he received for his work as Finn in the “Star Wars” franchise. Things got so bad, he convened a meeting with Disney and Lucasfilm execs to express his disappointment in their lack of support during the targeted attacks. While Boyega has now said he has no plans to return to “Star Wars,” he’s proud of “Obi-Wan” star Ewan McGregor coming to his co-star Moses Ingram’s defense after she became the target of online hate when their series premiered on Disney+ in May. “I don’t know how Disney have done, and I don’t know how they’ve moved with everything,” Boyega tells me on this week’s episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “All I know is about specifically Lucasfilm, about the Obi-Wan Kenobi stuff. And I saw that Ewan McGregor video. And that kind of got me, that was nice. That got me a little emotional on that. That’s cool that he showed up for her like that. That’s cool.”

the new HBO series, which premiered Sunday.The British actor, 57, told Men’s Health that several fans said his casting was not true to the book’s depiction of members of House Velaryon.“It seems to be very hard for people to swallow,” said Toussaint of his character, who is the richest man in Westeros.“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.”According to the book “Fire & Blood,” the source material for “House of the Dragon,” Lord Corlys is never stated to be white but is said to have hair that is “Targaryen white-blonde.”“When they asked me to stop shaving, I was like, ‘Oh no!’ I’m not a big fan of the beard, but it’s part of the look. It’s striking,” he said of his character known as the Sea Snake.

is off to a flying start. HBO's prequel — set 200 years before Daenerys Targaryen's quest for the Iron Throne — scored nearly 10 million viewers in its Sunday night debut, making it the most highly-rated original new series premiere in the history of HBO. Officially, the cable network reports 9.986 million viewers across both linear and HBO Max streaming platforms in the United States on Sunday night -- even as the streaming app crashed on Amazon Fire TV devices, leaving a portion of potential viewers in the dark. A press release from HBO indicates that Sunday's viewership is expected to make up just a small portion — 20 to 40 percent — of the show's total gross audience. While a direct comparison would be impossible to nail down -- due in part to shifting landscapes in streaming and evolving fandoms — the and both note that first season premiered to 4.2 million viewers in 2011, while its eighth and final season premiere was watched by a record-setting 17.9 million people in 2019. brings to life George R.R.

Following numerous setbacks in auditioning for parts in the Game of Thrones universe, British actor Steve Toussaint was finally cast as Corlys Velaryon for the prequel House of the Dragon. In landing the role, the 57-year-old became the franchise's first black lead character.

Sunday night premiere of HBO‘s “Game of Thrones” prequel series “House of Dragon.” Warning: Spoilers below.While Queen Aemma (Sian Brooke) is giving birth, a dangerous complication arises. So her husband, King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine), desperate for a male heir, orders the baby to be delivered via Caesarean section — which would kill the mother.The woman screams in anguish and begs them not to do it, but the doctor holds her down and graphically operates. It’s extremely painful.

House Of The Dragon star Emma D’Arcy has spoken about the more central role of women in the new Game Of Thrones spin-off.The star, who is non-binary, plays the role of female Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in the new prequel show, and spoke to NME about the series.When asked about a quote from co-star Steve Toussaint where he spoke about being able to tell that House Of The Dragon has been made post-MeToo given the more central role of women, D’Arcy suggested it was not “any accident”.“[Showrunners] Ryan [Condal] and Miguel [Sapochnik] spoke very clearly and determinedly to both of us, even in the midst of the audition process in saying that this is a story structured around two women,” they said.“And Miguel says a nice thing about that being a good enough reason to return to Westeros, which is a universe that requires such respect that he needed a good enough reason to brave the return journey.”D’Arcy and fellow star Olivia Cooke also spoke about what will surprise people most about the series, the latter admitting how “intimate” it is.“It’s such an intimate excavation of this one family,” Cooke said. “There’s a real closeness.”D’Arcy added: “Within that family environment, the show is quite brave and exacting in its investigation of how sort of structural the patriarchy is.“There’s a fundamental groundwork within even a family unit.

Steve Fletcher has been a regular face on The Repair Shop since it began in 2017, but now he has decided to step out of the workshop to share with television audiences one of his other passions in life: gardening.MORE: The Repair Shop star Steve Fletcher announces surprise appearance on Gardeners' WorldThe 50-year-old horologist - that's clock expert to me and you - is set to make his debut on Gardeners' World on Friday evening's programme alongside the likes of Monty Don and Adam Frost. Speaking exclusively with HELLO!, Steve has opened up about how he designed his green space and where he got his love for the outdoors...WATCH: Steve Fletcher has been appearing on The Repair Shop since 2017While Steve's appearance on the show might seem a little bit unexpected to those who have spent many weeknights watching him mend watches, clocks and other items on the restoration show fronted by Jay Blades, it turns out that he has long had a passion for horticulture.MORE: Meet The Repair Shop presenter Steve Fletcher's familyMORE: The Repair Shop viewers left emotional after guest breaks down in tears in new series debut"I've always enjoyed getting out of the workshop, away from the bench and into the outdoors, but I love to keep my hands busy, so gardening is the perfect hobby," he explained.

Steve Toussaint is set to star in the HBO House of the Dragon series as Lord Corlys Velaryon. The character, known as the Sea Snake, is the head of House Velaryon and will feature prominently in the fantasy drama.

told KNBC. “I don’t know what’s happened to Los Angeles that a beautiful guy like this gets shot and killed over nothing.”Bennett, 30, was shot at least eight times and died while on the way to an area hospital, police said. Investigators have not released a possible motive in his shooting or identified any suspects.The trainer’s murder comes as homicides in Los Angeles reached the highest level in 15 years, according to ABC7.