A Knight of Seven Kingdoms Star Sets the Record Straight on Racist Backlash

HBO wrapped season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms with strong reviews and big numbers, and honestly, the vibe was a welcome shift. Still Westeros, still swords and smashed skulls, but less grim for the sake of grim. People noticed.

The part of the fandom that made it weird

As the season closed, a chorus on social media started crowing that the show worked because it was 'non-woke' — the logic being that it centers two straight white guys, Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). That talking point got a push from right-wing influencers like Jack Posobiec. Predictably, that energy spilled onto the one prominent character of color on the show, played by Tanzyn Crawford, who ended up taking heat for simply being there.

"It was intimidating to step into something that people are so connected to, love so much and have a lot of opinions about," Crawford said. "I definitely did get some negativity around race, but at the end of the day, I’m employed - and I’m following my dreams."

Tanselle Too-Tall was cast exactly as the books describe

Season 1 adapts The Hedge Knight, the first Dunk and Egg novella by George R.R. Martin. Crawford plays Tanselle, aka Tanselle Too-Tall, a traveling puppeteer from Dorne. In the lore, many Dornish characters have darker complexions, so her casting fits cleanly with the text — not that this ever stops the part of fandom that labels any on-screen diversity as 'woke' with a wink.

According to Crawford, Martin told her: "You’re exactly what I pictured [for Tanselle]."

She also sees Tanselle as a tonal counterweight in a rough world — self-assured, with her own passions, not defined by the knights she crosses paths with, even if her story intersects with Dunk’s.

Season 2: what they are filming and what that means

The cast and crew are now at work on season 2, which adapts the second novella, The Sworn Sword. Tanselle does not appear in that story, though her absence lingers over Dunk and she gets mentioned more than once. Also worth flagging: there is a substantially larger role for a female character in The Sworn Sword. The folks declaring victory over 'non-woke' TV might find the next lap a little harder to run.

• Season 2 adapts: The Sworn Sword
• Tanselle: not in the novella, but referenced
• Expect: a notably bigger female role this time
• Timeline: likely arrival in 2027

Meanwhile, Crawford is leveling up elsewhere

Outside Westeros, Tanzyn Crawford has joined Netflix’s live-action Assassin’s Creed series, which should keep her busy while the Dunk and Egg saga keeps rolling. And yes, the larger Thrones-verse continues to sprawl — there is another prequel movie potentially on the way.