Just as with most fandoms, there’s usually an ugly corner of the community and, unfortunately, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has proved no exception.
The HBO Max and Sky Atlantic show, which is a spin-off of Game of Thrones, has been hugely popular with loyalists, earning a teetering 94% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
The show follows low-born aspiring knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), otherwise known as Dunk, and his nine-year-old squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).
Set 100 years after House of the Dragon got going, the story is a prequel to Game of Thrones and set roughly a century before.
But certain fans have speculated that the show’s success is down to it being a ‘non-woke’ period drama, with a cast that is nearly universally made up of white men.
The sole person of colour in the six-parter is Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, a travelling performer from Dorne who grows close to Dunk, which has prompted certain offensive responses on social media, with gripes over her inclusion in the cast.
Crawford has not addressed the racist backlash online, in a new interview in which she discusses being cast in the medieval show.
The 26-year-old told Wonderland magazine: ‘It was intimidating to step into something that people are so connected to, love so much, and have a lot of opinions about.
‘I definitely did get some negativity around race, but at the end of the day, I’m employed – and I’m following my dreams.’
In George R. R. Martin’s original novella Tales of Dunk & Egg, Tanselle is reportedly described as having black hair and olive skin, according to fan website Winter is Coming.
What did Metro think of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
Our Deputy TV Editor shared his thoughts on the new series here…
New Game of Thrones spin-off looks nothing like the original show – thank god
If I were to ask you what the essential ingredients of a Game of Thrones show are, think about what you would say.
Fire-breathing dragons and grand battles would likely feature. As would the relentless political backstabbing that makes what happens in the backrooms of Westminster look tame.
Or maybe you just really, really like pointy chairs.
And it was Martin himself who gave Crawford’s casting the true stamp of approval, as she said the renowned author told her: ‘You’re exactly what I pictured [for Tanselle].’
Crawford isn’t the only star in recent weeks to call out vile commentary from fans, with The Acolyte star Amandla Stenberg responding to ‘intolerable racism’ she faced while starring in the Star Wars spin-off.
Stenberg addressed the attacks by releasing a diss track and a black-and-white music video calling out the trolls.
She captioned the video: ‘Happy Juneteenth… And to those who are flooding me with intolerable racism – since it took me 72 hours on my laptop to make this song and video, u got 72 hours to respond. and I expect choreo! [sic].’
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is on Sky Atlantic and HBO Max.
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