‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘Rings of Power’ are the two most gripping fantastical dramas pitting at each other now. HOD’s new episodes air on Sundays and ROP on Fridays, the audience is having a blast with back-to-back entertainers keeping them on the edge of their chairs. Whilst, the two dramas are at their best, some fans have also criticized and thrown shade over the shows for the inclusion of persons of color.
It’s a battle for every colored actor to have their people represented on TV and in Films and get recognized for their talent. Although the scope of their talent is recognized widely, they are still facing discrimination over their participation in any period dramas or fantastical dramas. HOD and ROP have included black actors in their series in a very prominent position and some fans are just not taking it right.
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Why Fans Are Angry Over Inclusion Of People Of Color In Rings Of Power?
Amazon’s ROP series has gotten enough hate and trolls because they allowed people of color to exist in Middle Earth. Wow! How dare they? right? The people who troll are those who believe and watch stories of wizards, Elves, Balrogs, giant spiders, and magical swords but not the existence of people of color in Middle-earth.
This might be the most bizarre story for them. For people of color to have representation in fantasies is unbelievable for the haters. Wizards, yes! Elves, oh yes! But People of color, NOPE! Not possible man! Nope! People have openly commented on why cast members Lenny Henry, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Nazanin Boniadi, Sara Zwangobani, Maxine Cunliffe, and Sophia Nomvete shouldn’t play harfoots, elves, dwarves, or even humans in the Middle-earth where Amazon’s series is set.
Their main reason is that Tolkien did not include people of color in his stories. Many who have read the books page to page have discredited this statement by stating that harfoots are described by the author as having “browner skin”. In addition to this, people who support inclusivity have made it their mission to note that Tolkien has never openly stated any character as white, he has leaned on the open-ended “fairer than…” Importantly, even if Tolkien had been racist, this series is just an adaptation of his novel. An adaptation can have its own touch to it.
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Why Does Inclusivity Of ‘House Of The Dragon’ Anger People?
On April 2021, it was announced that Toussaint had been cast as Lord Velaryon, the wealthiest man in Westeros, in HOD. This bought a major quake in the GOT fandom online over casting a black actor to play ‘The Sea Snake’. The character was described as being white in author George R.R. Martin’s original ‘Fire & Blood’ book.
Toussaint said in an interview that for most people it is hard to swallow that a black man is represented as rich. “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,” he expressed.
HOD’s co-showrunner Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik said, “The world changed a lot between 2011 and 2021 and [so did] what audiences expect to see on camera.” He continued, “The conversations Miguel and I had were: How do we create a diverse cast for House of the Dragon but still do it in a way that feels organic to the world and doesn’t feel like pandering or tokenism — and also have them not be pirates, slaves and mercenaries like you tend to see in high fantasies?”
People of color must be included and not treated like their representation is an act of charity. They are people who exist and they have a story to tell and talents to show. No one must be discriminated against because they are from a different race, color, or country or they speak a different language. Stories are imaginative and let the imagination engulf you, whilst people of color are also represented and recognized.
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