Ever since The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted on Amazon Prime Video, the cast and creators have faced a barrage of racist backlash. A group of fans have denounced the show for its diverse casting whilst some have resorted to review bomb the series.
Now, several original Lord of the Rings cast members have stepped in to shut down the racist critics and to show support for their The Rings of Power peers. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan have all shared photos on social media with the message "You are all welcome here" to stand up for diversity in Middle-earth.
You Are All Welcome Here @LOTRonPrime @DonMarshall72 #RingsOfPower https://t.co/8txOhlHa2f pic.twitter.com/nWytILT0zG
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) September 7, 2022
You are all welcome here.#RingsOfPower @LOTRonPrime #MiddleEarth #Samwise @ElijahWood @BillyBoydActor @DomsWildThings @DonMarshall72 https://t.co/w2tdZ4nFwN pic.twitter.com/f4RsBKE9an
— Sean Astin (@SeanAstin) September 7, 2022
The The Rings of Power cast later released a joint statement on social media, using the same #YouAreAllWelcomeHere hashtag and condemning “the relentless racism, threats, harassment, and abuse some of our castmates of color are being subjected to on a daily basis.”
“Tolkien created a world which, by definition, is multi-cultural,” reads the statement. “A world in which free peoples from, different races and cultures join together, in fellowship, to defeat the forces of evil. ‘Rings of Power’ reflects that. Our world has never been all white, fantasy has never been all white, Middle-earth is not all white.”
The statement also thanks fans for defending the cast, especially fans of color “who are themselves being attacked simply for existing in this fandom.”
We stand in solidarity with our cast. #YouAreAllWelcomeHere pic.twitter.com/HLIQdyqLmr
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) September 7, 2022
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
ALSO READ: Amazon celebrates The Rings of Power record 25 million viewers premiere by pausing user reviews
This article was first published in Geek Culture.
