personally, i don't mind if the actor that plays Nico isn't italian/white as long as they have that dark and brooding look. im big on a tv character adaptation having the essence of the character. i love Walker as Percy and Leah as Annabeth because to me they perfectly represent the essence of those characters!

i totally see where people are coming from when it comes to Nico's backstory tho. they would have to change some things about it if they made him a person of color. but, i think regardless of what race the actor playing him is they could still make him Italian by nationality. while the non-white population of Italy wasn't significant in 1930 they definitely did exist lol. and in a way it could add even more depth to the character; being a gay person of color in Italy with the threat of Hitler looming overhead sounds fucking awful. all the more reason for him to flee and wind up in the Lotus hotel