ThoughThe Rings of Powerwas a success, when its cast was announced to feature several actors of color, the series and actors all faced racist backlash. The actors who endured this treatment spoke out about how they made it through this experience.
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweris set in Middle Earth’s Second Age. Its premise is essentially the story of the prologue toThe Lord of the Ringswhen all the armies of Middle Earth had to faceSauron in physical form, who held the One Ring and threatened to enslave all the peoples of the world. As a series, it had plenty of room for adaptational changes, but some members of the fanbase could not stand a more diverse cast of characters than has been seen in other adaptations of Middle Earth.
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In an interview withVariety, cast members Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Queen Regent Miriel), Ismael Cruz Córdova, (Arondir), and Sophia Nomvete (Princess Disa) discussed how they overcame the racist backlash against their casting. “The fact that the attention was shifted toward that shows you what the power of shows like this is. The fact that it hit that nerve, and that our being in it created such as response, just brings attention to the greatness of fantasy, the greatness of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and why it’s actually good that we are here,” Cruz Córdova stated. “I’m just very grateful that it’s us who are able to recalibrate, break form, reshape and make history.” He did, however, note that he felt that the backlash took away some of the spotlights on their abilities as actors, instead drawing attention to their race.
As actors who portray major characters, and who may play big roles in apossibleRings of Powerseason 2 storylines, Addai-Robinson and Nomvete both concurred with Cruz Córdova, saying they were glad to be part of a change in the industry. Addai-Robinson said, “We are right in the middle of that process. We just want to normalize. We do have to discuss it, because we are now in a space in society where need to – now and again – acknowledge exactly what is happening.” Meanwhile, Nomvete said the series spoke for itself, “there has been a shift. You know what there has been? It feels like there has been a sit-down. It feels like we had to prove ourselves, almost. We had to defend ourselves. But it’s undeniable that these people are in the position that they are in deserve to be there and should be there. There is nobody else that could have played the role.”
Rings of Powerhas shown that each of these actors is talented and capable in their own right. The fact that the color of their skin is a consideration when casting is a shame, as they all embody their characters well. In fact, it could be argued that the show’s weaker moments come from its writing (some claimRings of Powersimply copies too many plot elementsfromThe Lord of the Rings).
Others claim that theslow-burning first season ofThe Rings of Powerworks well for the series. Certainly, the acting in the show is not one of its flaws. Already, fans have grown attached to various new characters and their actors, a sign that the actors are doing their job right, with many becoming fan favorites among already-established characters such as Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo).
The Rings of Powerseason 1 is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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