Amazon cast Rings of Power He publicly condemned what he called “brutal racism” allegedly directed at BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and Colored) actors since the series aired last week.
In a statement released Wednesday, the cast made no distinction between genuinely racist online trolls and fans who sincerely criticize the showrunners for their zeal for diversity, apparently confusing the two groups as one.
“We are artists. Rings of Power, stand together in full solidarity and stand up against the relentless racism, threats, harassment and abuse that some of our color filmmakers are subjected to every day. We refuse to ignore or tolerate it,” he began.
The statement then goes on to say that writer JRR Tolkien created a “multicultural” world and that Middle-earth was “never all white.”
“Tolkien, by definition, created a multicultural world,” the statement said. “A world where free people of different races and cultures unite in brotherhood to defeat the forces of evil. Rings of Power reflect on it. Our world has never been all white, fiction has never been all white, Middle-earth has never been all white. The BIPOC belongs to Middle-earth, and they are here to stay.”
The statement concluded with a plea to his colleagues for “fans of color who find themselves under attack simply for existing in this fandom.”
“Finally, all of our love and friendship goes out to the fans who support us, especially those of color who have been attacked for just existing in this fandom,” the statement said. “We see you, your courage and your endless creativity. Your cosplays, fancams, fan art and ideas enrich this community and remind us of our purpose. You are valid, valid and you belong. You are an important part of the LOTR family – thank you for supporting us.”
We stand in solidarity with our players. #YouAllWelcome Here pic.twitter.com/HLIQdyqLmr
— Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) September 7, 2022
Peter Jackson’s original cast Lord of the Rings The series also kicked off on Wednesday, when a series of interracial elves shared photos of themselves wearing t-shirts with elvish “Welcome Here” over their ears.
welcome here @LOTRonPrime @DonMarshall72 #RingsofPower https://t.co/8txOhlHa2f pic.twitter.com/nWytILT0zG
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) September 7, 2022
Welcome here.#RingsofPower @LOTRonPrime #middle of the world #Samwise @Elijah Wood @BillyBoydOyuncu @DomsWildThings @DonMarshall72 https://t.co/w2tdZ4nFwN pic.twitter.com/f4RsBKE9an
— Sean Astin (@SeanAstin) September 7, 2022
After the series aired last week, Amazon also suspended user reviews due to fan backlash to prevent what ardent critics call “review bombing.”
“Amazon’s new review initiative is designed to weed out and mitigate the effects of malicious posts,” the post said. Variation reported.
Source: Breitbart
