Whoopi Goldberg and her The View cohosts responded to fans of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon who believe the shows are too ‘woke,’ questioning whether their complaints are racially motivated.
“Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and [the] Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, are both massive hits but they don’t exist in the real world,” Goldberg, 66, said on Tuesday, September 6, episode of the daytime talk show. “There are no dragons, no hobbits.
And there are critics who are saying they were too ‘woke’ by adding diverse characters. Are you telling me Black people can’t be fake people too? I don’t know if there’s like a hobbit club, or there’s going to be protests, but what is wrong with y’all?”
The Sister Act star went on to explain why it’s illogical to argue that people of color shouldn’t play hobbits, elves, and other fantasy characters, reminding fans that both shows are “not real.”
Sunny Hostin, another host, shared concern that having people of color in LOTR or GOT “betrays the source material,” before echoing Goldberg’s sentiment.
“What I think is fascinating is, like, dragons are okay, fire-breathing dragons, and people with white hair that are born like that when they’re little, and violet eyes, but the Black people in it is just a bridge too far for these folks,” the New York native, 53, said.
“It’s just racist. Call it what it is,” declared Joy Behar.
Goldberg then mentioned the upcoming Little Mermaid live-action remake, which is set to premiere in May 2023 and will star Halle Bailey as Ariel, a Black woman.
“I don’t want to upset any mermaids who are watching the show, because I know there are many communities of mermaids of various colors,” the Star Trek alum quipped. “And you know why there can be? Because it’s the world that we would like to see. We would like to see as many people represented in fantasy as exists.”
The Ghost actress concluded the discussion by delivering a direct message to those who call for only white characters in Middle-earth and Westeros: “All of y’all who have problems because there are Black hobbits? Get a job! Get a job and go find yourself. Because you are focused on the wrong stuff,” she said.
Last month, House of the Dragon star Steve Toussaint discussed the racist backlash he faced after being cast in the HBO spinoff.
“I didn’t realize it was a bigger deal until I was racially abused on social media when it was announced,” the U.K. native told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Monday, August 15. “Yeah, that s–t happened.”