The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star Ismael Cruz Córdova has hit back at the racist backlash he has faced in response to his casting in Amazon’s new fantasy series. Set thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, The Rings of Power depicts the events of the Second Age of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth and is expected to reveal how the Great Rings were forged and Sauron rose to power following the defeat of his former master, Morgoth. The new series recently debuted its first two episodes on Prime Video, and over 25 million viewers streamed the show within 24 hours of its release. The first season’s remaining 6 episodes are currently scheduled to drop weekly up until October 14.
While The Rings of Power's first two episodes were generally received well by critics, the show’s development and release have not been without controversy. During his lifetime Tolkien managed to develop a vast amount of detailed lore regarding the history of Middle-earth, however, the events of the Second Age were only covered in very broad strokes by the author himself. This left the Rings of Power creative team with the ability to introduce several original and diverse new characters, including Córdova’s Elven warrior Arondir. Sadly, these decisions also led to certain sections of the fanbase targeting the show’s creators and actors with racist vitriol. Amazon was also reportedly forced to suspend reviews on the series premiere for 72 hours, to allow them to weed out trolling by disgruntled fans.
Córdova recently spoke with Esquire about his ground-breaking role in the series and revealed that he was on the receiving end of “pure and vicious hate speech” for two years building up to the series release. Suggesting he knew that it was likely he would face that kind of antagonism, he says that he “fought so hard for this role” precisely so that he might enhance “visibility and representation” for diverse communities and people of color. Check out his comments below:
"I fought so hard for this role for this very reason. I felt that I could carry that torch. I made sure that my elf was the most Elven, the most incredible, because I knew this was coming. You can never use it as an excuse: 'But elves don't look like that.' They didn't, but now they do."
While the sort of backlash that Córdova and many of his fellow co-stars are being forced to endure is disappointing, it is also a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly common for big-budget franchises. Earlier this year Obi-Wan Kenobi actress Moses Ingram faced similar attacks for her role in the hit Star Wars series, something that both her co-stars and Lucasfilm itself proactively sought to forewarn and shield her from. As major tent pole properties like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars increasingly attempt to make their casts far more representative of their diverse audience base, the more toxic portions of the fanbase seem to mobilize to speak out against it online.
While hardcore Tolkien fans are fiercely protective of his classic works and are quick to point out any perceived transgression against the author’s official canon, the idea that a world as expansive and nuanced as Middle-earth can not support racial diversity is absurd. Hopefully, the show will continue to impress audiences and provide Córdova and his co-stars the opportunity to further develop their characters and prove their critics wrong. Time will only tell if The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will come to prove itself worthy of becoming a pop-culture icon much as the original books and films already are.
Source: Esquire