will.i.am is "annoyed" by the lack of diversity in ‘Game Of Thrones’.
The 41-year-old star has admitted he is still a fan of the US fantasy drama TV series, which made its debut in April 2011, but doesn’t like it that only two black actors – Jacob Anderson, who plays Grey Worm, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who starred as Malko in the fifth series – have been cast in the programme.
Speaking to The Sun newspaper, the ‘It’s My Birhday’ singer said: "Even though there are only two black people on it, I love that show. It’s awesome but, yeah, that kinda annoys me that it has only two black characters."
While the HBO programme has been criticised over its lack of diversity, the writer behind ‘Game Of Thrones’, George R.R. Martin, has previously jumped to its defence.
In August 2014, the author – whose series of fantasy novels were adapted into the show – wrote in a blog post: "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 WINDS OF WINTER. Admittedly, these are secondary and tertiary characters, though not without importance.
"Of course, I am talking about the books here, and you are talking about the show, which is a thing apart. 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."
will.i.am slams lack of diversity in Game Of Thrones
