Rob played Silver Denys in the globally popular Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. Following the episode’s airing, Rob experienced trolling in the form of ignorant memes focusing on his scarring.
Fans of the show stepped in to defend him, but inadvertently caused further issues by using the word “deformed” to describe Rob’s visible difference.
Rob on the set of House of the Dragon
“Deformed” is a word that is largely frowned upon in the visible difference community, due to its negative connotations. Speaking out on social media about the use of this language, Rob said “the word DEFORMED … insinuates I am half formed/incorrectly formed. I’m not incorrect, just a bit different.”
From here, BBC London got in touch wanting to talk to Rob about the impact of this kind of language on the visible difference community, and the importance of better representation in improving people’s understanding and acceptance.
Rob said:
“There was no malice intended in the comment that was posted but it’s one of those words that makes many people with a visible difference feel quite uncomfortable.
“That’s because there’s not enough representation of people who have a visible difference in the media, so people who are unfamiliar with visible difference have a sense of panic when they see it and don’t know how to act, or what to say.”
Rob on BBC Breakfast with Changing Faces’ Chief Executive Heather Blake
Rob also went on to be interviewed on BBC Breakfast, as well as featuring in Unilad, Mirror and BBC Online.
This situation is why Changing Faces’ I Am Not Your Villain campaign is so vital. Actors with a visible difference, such as Rob, shouldn’t have to worry about the reactions of viewers seeing them on screen.
The more people with visible differences appear on TV and in films, the less likely this conversation will be needed in future.
