Are The Game of Thrones racist?
Golden Globe nominated actor David Oyelowo (Selma) recently criticized Game of Thrones for not casting non-white actors on the show, saying that there’s “absolutely no excuse in a show like that why there aren’t more prominent characters of color.”
“The fact that they put any ethnic minorities in that means that there should be space for bigger characters. Because you’re not just saying, this is purely a white world, and here are very story-driven reasons why that’s the case… You are interspersing people of color into it, and so therefore it’s a conscious decision to put them on the margins, as opposed to put them front and center. Even if for whatever reason, it’s a world in which people of color in those stories are subservient, or they are more in a helper role, that doesn’t mean they can’t have prominent storylines. All you have to do is shift the focus to focus on those characters.” (Via)
It’s important to point out that in 2014, a fan commented on George R.R. Martin’s blog that while she loves Game of Thrones, “the lack of diversity really hurts.” Martin replied, “Westeros around 300 AC is nowhere near as diverse as 21st century America, of course… but with that being said, I do have some ‘characters of color’ who will have somewhat larger roles in The Winds of Winter. Admittedly, these are secondary and tertiary characters, though not without importance.”
As for the HBO series, he added, “I do think HBO and [showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] are doing what they can to promote diversity as well, as witness the casting of Areo Hotah, which you mention. Of course, Hotah IS a guard… but he is also a viewpoint character in the novels, a brave and loyal warrior.” Unfortunately, Hotah was killed last season.
Sadly, this didn’t go over too well on Twitter as many GOT fans bashed Oyelowo for his comments on race and Game of Thrones.
NOW GAME OF THRONES IS RACIST TOO GUYS
— Rogue One (@DanPiroz) October 12, 2016
People think everything’s racist, now Game of thrones is getting hate because there’s a lack of colored family‘s lmao
— Crit (@Critizice) October 12, 2016
there is an argument going on that game of thrones is racist as the black characters aren’t the main characters, can’t believe it
— sp00ky bez (@bigbez) October 13, 2016
Hopefully, this is the first step towards diversity in Hollywood. However, if you’re interested in a role on Game of Thrones, you can check out the latest casting calls here.
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