Some fans criticize the two fantasy series, which are the prequel shows of 'Game of Thrones' and 'Lord of the Rings' respectively, for casting black actors for the two shows' characters.
- Sep 7, 2022
AceShowbiz - Even though "House of the Dragon" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" are massive hits following its premiere, the two shows face massive complaints regarding its diverse casts. The ladies on "The View" discussed the matter in a new episode of the talk show with co-host Whoopi Goldberg sharing a strong message for the racist fans.
" 'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' and 'Game of Thrones' prequel, 'House of the Dragon', are both massive hits but they don't exist in the real world," the 66-year-old TV personality said in the Tuesday, September 6, episode of the daytime talk show.
She continued, "There are no dragons, no hobbits. And there are critics who are saying they were too 'woke' by adding diverse characters. Are you telling me black people can't be fake people too? I don't know if there's like a hobbit club, or there's going to be protests, but what is wrong with y'all?"
Fellow co-host Sunny Hostin added, "What I think is fascinating is like, dragons are OK, fire-breathing dragons, and people with white hair that are born like that when they're little, and violet eyes, but the black people in it is just a bridge too far for these folks."
Also slamming the critics, newcomer Alyssa Farah Griffin said that those people need to "get a hobby." Echoing the sentiment, Joy Behar noted, "It's just racist. Call it what it is."
Whoopi then likened the situation to the backlash that Halle Bailey got when it was announced that she was cast as mermaid Ariel in "The Little Mermaid (2022)" remake. "Y'all are gonna lose your minds when you see the new Ariel. 'Cause you know … there are many communities of mermaids of various colors," the "Sister Act" star shared.
She added, "And when I say 'of various colors,' I'm not playing. There are violet mermaids, there are pink mermaids, there are black mermaids, there are Latina mermaids, there are mermaids of every ilk. And you know why there can be? Because it's the world that we would like to see better."
"All of y'all who have problems because there are black hobbits? Get a job!" she snapped. "Get a job! Go find yourself, because you are focused on the wrong stuff."
In response to cast diversity backlash, it was revealed that Amazon Prime Video suspended user reviews for "The Rings of Power" for the first 72 hours to avoid "review bombing" from trolls. While "The Lord of the Rings" prequel series features black hobbit for the first time in the franchise history, "House of the Dragon" makes history by casting black actor Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon a.k.a. Sea Snake. It marks the first black character on the TV adaption of George R.R. Martin's works.
