Good Omens author Neil Gaiman has responded to a fan who wasn't too happy about the ethnicity of two of the Four Horsemen in the upcoming series adaptation.
The bestselling author said that the fan might be better off skipping the show if he wouldn't be able to get past this casting.
"Honestly, if you're bothered by half of the Four Horsemen not being white, you won't want to watch the rest of Good Omens either," he wrote. "We have so many great actors in it who aren't white, playing characters who either were white or weren't given any ethnicity in the book," he went on to say.
The Twitter user's specific problem was directed towards the characters Pollution and Famine, played by Lourdes Faberes and Yusuf Gatewood, respectively. In truth, Good Omens doesn't explicitly mention the ethnicity of the characters, just small descriptive details like the auburn hair and trim beard. Even then, as fans would notice in the trailer, the series even made sure they got these parts right.
When asked whether or not the casting of specifically Faberes, who is Asian, is commentary, Gaiman said that it is simply just "the Good Fortune" of being able to cast the actress. Some fans are bewildered that the fan even wanted the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to be white. The fact that these characters are merely anthropomorphic representations, their appearance could very well vary.
Meanwhile, in a recent Q&A, Gaiman revealed that the other Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the book did not make it in the Good Omens series due to budget constraints. He was referring to the female war correspondent, biker, dietician and fast-food mogul, and a young man who replaced Pestilence following his retirement due to the invention of penicillin. This is a shame because these characters are excellent and truly terrifying in the book.
Good Omens drops May 31 on Amazon.
Also Read: American Gods: Neil Gaiman Teases On Gillian Anderson Possibly Returning As Media
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Fantasy & Science Fiction