House of the Dragon star Bethany Antonia posted a racist message she received via Instagram Stories on Saturday, appearing to blast the nasty vitriol with humor.
The 26-year-old British actress posted a screenshot of a message that appeared to reference her role as Lady Baela Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series after previews of the series were released last month.
The message read: “N****, you look like shit. It’s a miracle they included you in the trailer. But we don’t care. I hope you die accidentally on set.
Antonia, who appeared in eight episodes of the show’s second season, captioned the photo: “Wait until they find out I’m gay too” with a clown face emoji.
The actress, who has also been seen in shows including Netflix’s Stay Close and the BBC’s Get Even, appeared taken aback by the worrying message, as she was seen smiling in a separate photo on her Instagram Stories.
House of the Dragon star Bethany Antonia, 26, posted a racist message she received via Instagram Stories on Saturday, appearing to blast the nasty vitriol with humor. Photographed in London in November 2022
Antonia captioned the photo: “Wait until they find out I’m gay too” with a clown face emoji.
“You won’t ruin this first glimmer of dragon joy for us niggas,” captioned Antonia, who appeared on Hallmark’s Sense & Sensibility earlier this year as Marianne.
TMZ noted that in the Game of Thrones universe, “Targaryens are traditionally presented as white with blonde hair” and that “the inclusion of black actors in these particular roles has received racist vitriol online.”
The show’s Steve Toussaint, who plays Lord Velaryon, expressed similar feelings towards his casting on the show in an August 2022 article with Men’s Health.
He said of critics of his casting: “They’re happy a dragon flies.” They’re happy to have white hair and purple eyes, but a rich black guy? This is irrelevant.
The 59-year-old British actor told The Hollywood Reporter the month before that he underestimated the reaction when he was cast as the first significant role of a person of color in the Game of Thrones universe. .
“When I got the job, I literally thought, ‘This is just another role because I have black friends who have had small or recurring roles on ‘Game of Thrones,'” said Toussaint to the media.
He added: “I didn’t realize it was a bigger deal until I was subjected to racist abuse on social media when the announcement was made. Yeah, it happened.’
Touissant said one person called him the N-word and others made art to mock his casting on the show.
The actress appeared taken aback by the worrying message, as she was seen smiling in a separate photo on her Instagram Stories.
Antonia stars as Lady Baela Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series. She shared a photo of herself on the set of the series last month on Instagram
Antonia appeared on Hallmark’s Sense & Sensibility earlier this year as Marianne alongside Deborah Ayorinde and Dan Jeannotte.
Antonia, who appeared in eight episodes of the show’s second season, was photographed last year in London
Steve Toussaint, who plays Lord Velaryon, expressed similar feelings towards his casting in the series two years ago. Photographed in London in August 2022
Over the weekend, a number of Antonia’s 57,400 followers showed their love and support in the comments thread of her latest post in response to the nasty post.
Over the weekend, a number of Antonia’s 57,400 followers showed their love and support in the comments thread of her latest post in response to the nasty post.
One use stated that they “came here to counteract the hate you feel in your text messages!!”. adding, “I hope you’re doing well + you’re the prettiest.”
Another user said: “Sorry for the racist and despicable comments, girl just here to tell you the [A Song of Ice and Fire] fandom absolutely LOVES you and you are the perfect Baela Targaryen.’
One user said: “We love you Bethany!! you are amazing as Baela!! Don’t mind these racists. We already know how amazing and talented you are.
One user said: “So who is here after this TikTok of someone being rude to this sad beautiful girl I hope they see these comments Frrrr.”