Original ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Cast Stands Up For Diversity In Amazon’s New Show

Just days after Amazon debuted its blockbuster The Lord Of The Rings series, The Rings Of Power, it appears the show has caught the ire of fans who aren’t too pleased at its diverse casting and strong female characters.

According to Forbes, the “anti-woke” mob left hordes of unsavory reviews online, under the guise of historical accuracy that pre-historic Britain wasn’t as diverse as the cast portrays in the series. 

You Are All Welcome Here @LOTRonPrime @DonMarshall72 #RingsOfPower https://t.co/8txOhlHa2f pic.twitter.com/nWytILT0zG

— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) September 7, 2022

Fortunately, the original cast of famed film has backed the new characters, with actor Elijah Wood, together with Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan, taking to Twitter to affirm that “you are all welcome here.” 

In the post, the trio are donning a T-shirt featuring ears in a spectrum of skin tones, with the neo-Sindarin Elvish script “Sí de maedyl” plastered across the top, which translates to the tweet’s caption. 

Actor Sean Astin joined in with a separate post, wearing a cap with the same design, while the show’s official account posted a statement in solidarity with the cast members.

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

“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 post read. 

“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 to evil,” the tweet continued. 

“Our world has never been all white, fantasy has never been all white, Middle-earth is not all white. BIPOC belong in Middle-earth and they are here to stay.” 

We stand in solidarity with our cast. #YouAreAllWelcomeHere pic.twitter.com/HLIQdyqLmr

— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) September 7, 2022

[via Forbes and Rolling Stone, cover image via IMDb / Amazon]