Elijah Wood, Sean Astin & Other 'LOTR' Cast Members Call Out Racist Backlash From 'Power Rings'

It's become all too common for actors of color in film adaptations of fantasy books to receive backlash, and black and brown actors in Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" prequel, "The Rings of Power," are the most recent victims. Although fantasy enthusiasts have no problem accepting the existence of JRR Tolkien's many fantastical creatures like hobbits, harfoots, elves and dwarves, many cannot suspend their disbelief enough to accept that these fantastical creatures may be people of color, as depicted in "The Rings of Power." Now the original cast of 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy are standing up against the racist backlash and declaring that elves of all colors are welcome in Middle-earth.

When black cast members such as Lenny Henry and Sophia Nomvete were announced in early 2020, racists got to work trolling social media about how characters of color are supposed to miss respect to Tolkein's vision. The September 2 premiere of the Prime Video series rekindled the racist chatter. Now Prime Video doesn't mince words in a statement decrying racist attacks and supporting their more diverse take on Tolkien's fantasy world.

The statement posted to Twitter on September 7 reads: "We, the cast of 'Rings of Power,' stand united in absolute solidarity and against the continued racism, threats, harassment and abuse that some of our colored comrades are suffered on a daily basis."

"We refuse to ignore or condone it," the statement continued. "JRR Tolkien created a world that, by definition, is multicultural. A world in which free people of different races and cultures come together, in communion, to defeat the forces of evil. 'Rings of Power' reflects this. Our world has never been all white, fantasy has never been all white. Middle-earth is not all-white. BIPOC is Middle-earth and they are here to stay."

In conclusion, they wrote, "Finally, all of our love and brotherhood goes out to the fans who support us, especially the fans of color who themselves are being attacked simply for existing in this fandom. We see you, your bravery and endless efforts creativity. Your cosplays, fancams, fan art and ideas make this community a richer place and remind us of our purpose. You are valid, you are loved and you belong. You are an integral part of the family LOTR - thanks for having our back."

Actors Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd - who played Frodo, Samwise, Merry and Pippin in the original 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy - showed their support, Wood