The showrunner of HBO’s hit series “House of the Dragon,” Ryan Condal, has revealed why the studio selected black actors to play the role of the Velaryons in the series.
Unlike its sequel and predecessor, “Game of Thrones,” the new series has a more diverse cast, which served to infuse more diversity in the fantasy/sci-fi genre as a whole.
In a recent interview, Condal explained that the decision was not in a bid to butter up to liberals; instead, they reached a conclusion after a lot of thought and discussion.
Read on to learn more.
Ryan Condal Opens Up On Casting Decisions For ‘House of the Dragons’
On Tuesday, Condal joined “The Wrap” interview series, “TheGrill,” and shed light on why the show’s creators decided to infuse more diversity in “House of the Dragon” than its significantly more white-inclined predecessor, “Game of Thrones.”
According to Condal, the decision wasn’t made in a bid to make the studio seem progressive; rather, it was well thought out hence its obvious success. “I think the reason that it’s been a successful choice … is because it was thought out,” he explained. “It wasn’t just done perfunctorily or wasn’t just done to tick a box or … to be seen as progressive.”
The showrunner went on to talk about how much more diverse the audience was now compared to the era previous shows were made in. According to him, having diverse cultures and races worldwide reflected on screen was important to the viewers.
Ryan Condal Says ‘House Of The Dragon’ Is A Fantasy World
The co-creator further explained that technically, “House of the Dragon” was set in a fantasy world; hence it wasn’t out of place for there to be people of different skin colors if dragons and shape-shifters were moving about.
“This is a fantasy world. I think if this was a historical fiction piece, it would be a more nuanced discussion,” Condal said. “But I think simply because this is a fantasy world, if we believe in dragons, and shape-shifters and [the fictional canines] dire wolves, we can believe everybody in the story is not white.”
Despite the logic of this, Steve Toussaint, who played Corlys Velaryon in the HBO series, has been the recipient of several racist comments online from “Game of Thrones” fans who would have preferred an entirely white cast for the series.
“Fire & Blood,” which “House of the Dragon” was adapted from, however, notably mentioned that the House Velaryon consisted of people with white skin, purple eyes, and exceedingly pale hair.
George R.R. Martins Inspired The Decision To Cast Black Actors
Further on in the interview, Condal revealed that despite the book’s description, the crew got the inspiration to make the entire House Velaryon dark-skinned due to an interesting fact about the race. George R.R. Martins also reportedly said something a few years ago which led to the decision.
The showrunner explained, “Why we went to the Velaryons, in particular, was because that felt like the most fantastical race in the show, and it felt like … these were people from a lost continent that we don’t really know that much about.”
Condal pointed out that it was a known fact that a part of the race had silver hair and an affinity for dragons. In the books as well as the show, they were referred to as “closer to gods than to men.”
“And it always stuck with me, this article … where George had talked about, at first when he set out to write these books, considering making all of the Velaryons Black. … Black people with silver hair — and that always really stuck with me as an image,” he continued.
Ryan Condal Says Having Black Characters In ‘House Of The Dragon’ Has ‘Visual’ Benefits
Still, on the topic of the black cast, Condal explained that the notably darker-skinned actors would help in differentiating the various character on screen and knowing who was in what house.
The showrunner went on to talk about Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and her children with “questionable parentage.” While the Princess is married to a Velaryon, her children seem to have no trace of the darker-skinned people in them.
“I think there’s a lot of visual benefits that come along with it. And because Corlys has such a rich and diverse family line himself, just simply making that one turn on him to cast Steve Toussaint, his entire family becomes then a diverse cast,” Condal explained.
The showrunner added that the inclusion of the black characters was “a really interesting way” to include new faces in the show, which is hard to see in other shows in the fantasy genre.
