The Hobbit star Richard Armitage has a very blunt response for why he won't be watching The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Armitage starred in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy in the lead role of Thorin Oakenshield, who was on a quest to take back the Lonely Mountain. The Hobbit trilogy, which concluded in 2014, was the last live-action film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's works until Amazon acquired the rights to make a live-action TV series, The Rings of Power.
In an interview with Radio Times (via CBR), Armitage had a blunt response for why he refuses to watch The Rings of Power. He explained that he simply had no interest in the fantasy genre as a whole after his stint on The Hobbit franchise, and held nothing back in why he's moved on from the genre. Check out his statement below:
After two and a half years of Middle-Earth, I’m not drawn to fantasy anymore. It's really, really thin... But so are our new movie choices today.
What Do LOTR Stars Really Think About The Rings of Power?
Armitage's perspective on The Rings of Power is interesting, especially as it compares to what other Lord of the Rings stars have said of Amazon's show. Most former stars in the franchise have had much more positive reactions than Armitage, including Sean Astin, who previously portrayed Sam Gamgee, having nothing but optimism for the series and giving it his The Rings of Power his blessing, and his co-star Elijah Wood, who played Frodo, similarly being open to the series, though taking issue with it using Lord of the Rings in the title when it's technically before that timeline.
Other Lord of the Rings stars, including Billy Boyd, Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, and Dominic Monaghan, were overwhelmingly optimistic and supportive of the series. They wished the show well and expressed interest and excitement in watching it. However, Armitage's sentiments weren't wholly unique as Hugo Weaving, who played Elrond, also expressed no interest in the series, explaining that filming Lord of the Rings was enough for him, and he had no interest in delving into that world again.
Weaving's and Armitage's responses are understandable, indicating no disrespect to Tolkien or the works they were in, but admitting they felt their time with Middle-earth was done after The Hobbit trilogy. It is reminiscent of how Christopher Eccleston admitted to disliking his roles in Doctor Who and Marvel, and found no shame in trying something and moving on when it wasn't quite what he wanted. Similar to fans, some Lord of the Rings stars felt positively towards The Rings of Power, but others found it was also acceptable to leave their Middle-earth experience to the franchise's earlier eras.
Source: RadioTimes (via CBR)