Photo: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video
The Rings of Powernotably added more diversity in both race and gender to the series, but there have been attacks from certainLord of the Ringssuperfans who claim that the castings won’t represent the original characters or the “source material.”
In addition to Córdova, who plays Silvan elf Arondir, costarSophia Nomvete, who plays Princess Disa the dwarf, also received her fair share of internet attacks.
After the cast members became targets of hateful messaging, members of the Hollywood community began speaking out against the racist remarks.
On a Sept. 6 episode ofThe View, moderatorWhoopi Goldbergcalled fans out for not accepting Black actors as a part of their fantasy shows.
“I don’t know if there’s like, a hobbit club, I don’t know if there are gonna be protests, but people! What is wrong with y’all?”
Goldberg later added, “We would like to see as many people represented in fantasy as exist. All of y’all who have problems because there are Black hobbits, get a job! Get a job! Go find yourself, because you are focused on the wrong stuff.”
One day later,Elijah Wood,Sean Astin,Dominic MonaghanandBilly Boyd— the four actors known for playing the Hobbits Frodo, Samwise, Merry and Pippin in the originalLord of the Ringsfilm trilogy — expressed their support for the cast of the new show on social media.
The shirt also featured illustrations of the ears of several characters in a spectrum of skin tones.
That same day,TheLord of the Rings: Rings of Powerissued a statement onTwitter, also condemning the racist remarks.
“We, the cast ofRings of Power, stand together in absolute solidarity and against the relentless racism, threats, harassment, and abuse some of our castmates of color are being subjected to on a daily basis. We refuse to ignore it or tolerate it,” the statement read.
“Finally, all our love and fellowship go out to the fans supporting us, especially fans of colour who are themselves being attacked simply for existing in this fandom,” it continued. “We see you, your bravery, and endless creativity. Your cosplays, fancams, fan art, and insights make this community a richer place and remind us of our purpose. You are valid, you are loved, and you belong. You are an integral part of the LOTR family — thanks for having our backs.”
TheStar Warsfranchise, another subject of racist attacks from fans complaining about BIPOC casting, also tweeted in support ofThe Rings of Power.
“From Middle-earth to a galaxy far, far away… #YouAreAllWelcomeHere,” the franchise’s Twitter accountwrote.
Additionally,Rings of Power producer Lindsey Weber shut down complaints that the castings won’t represent the original characters, tellingTIMEin a recent interview: “We’re all up for criticism,” she said. “We’re not up for racism.”
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Córdova previouslyspoke about the impactof becoming the first Latino elf to grace theLord of the Ringssaga in the same interview as Weber.
“I didn’t see myself represented,” he toldTIMEof growing up in the mountains of Puerto Rico. “And when I said, ‘I want to be an elf,’ people said, ‘Elves don’t look like you.'”
He added, “When I heard about the character on the show it felt like a mission.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweris now streaming on Prime Video.
source: people.com
