‘The Rings of Power‘ also known as ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘ is one of the most watched shows on Amazon Prime. It drew around 25 million viewership on its first day. Based on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the show is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth.
Read More: “Tolkien Is Turning In His Grave”: Why Elon Musk Hates ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’?
‘The Rings Of Power’ Cast Calls Out Racist Viewers
A lot has changed since the film trilogy came out and makers are aware of that. This is why we can now see people of color in ‘The Rings of Power‘. But the actors have been facing a lot of racist attacks online.
Now the cast of the Prime Video fantasy show has united to speak out against the racist threats. A statement was issued by the show’s cast members on Twitter showing support for their actors.
We stand in solidarity with our cast. #YouAreAllWelcomeHere pic.twitter.com/HLIQdyqLmr
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) September 7, 2022
“We, the cast of ‘Rings 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,” the statement read. “We refuse to ignore it or tolerate it.”
The statement continued, “JRR Tolkien created a world which, by definition, is multi-cultural. A world in which free peoples from different races and cultures join together, in fellowship, to defeat the forces of evil. Our world has never been all white, fantasy has never been all white, Middle-earth is not all white.”
Read More: ‘The Rings Of Power’: Which Characters Appear On The Show And Not In Tolkien’s Work?
Amazon Suspended The Ratings After Review Bombing
Amazon had earlier suspended the ratings of the fantasy show after complaints regarding the show’s diversity. It currently has an 85 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. But the audience score is just 39 percent.
Trolling has been directed towards actors like Lenny Henry, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Nazanin Boniadi, Sara Zwangobani, Maxine Cunliffe, and Sophia Nomvete.
The racist fans believe that people of color should not play harfoots or any other character. This is in contrast with Tolkien’s writing who mentions harfoots as having brown skins.
We can hope that the racist attacks stop after this strong statement. The third episode is set to premiere on September 9.
Read More: ‘The Rings Of Power’: Who Are Blue Wizards In Middle Earth?
