“There was also a Black American chap who is a big fan of the show who contacted me saying that he gets abuse because he championed me for the part,” Toussaint revealed. “On platforms like Reddit, which I’m not on, there are such discussions going on about it. I was like, ‘Oh wow,’ and then I thought, ‘Okay, this means a lot to some people,’ but I can’t allow that to bother me.”
Toussaint is far from the first actor of color to receive racist messages online after being cast in a high-profile project.
“Someone I’ve known for a long time, he had it [when he was cast on a Marvel project],” the actor said. “A friend of mine who played Hermione in the stage version of Harry Potter, she got it. I’ve worked with [Star Wars: The Force Awakens actor] John Boyega, and he got it. If it bothers you so much, don’t watch.”
Even more recently, Obi-Wan Kenobi actress Moses Ingram received an influx of hateful messages after the show premiered on Disney+ in May.
“There’s nothing anybody can do about this,” the actress said on Instagram at the time. “There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate. I question my purposes in even being here in front of you saying that this is happening. I don’t really know.”