The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has received backlash from some franchise fanatics over its casting choices, and one of the show’s primary actresses, Morfydd Clark, has responded. Adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works have played a major role in film since Peter Jackson introduced his Lord of the Rings trilogy in 2001. The massive success surrounding the fantasy films led to the release of Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy and, now, Prime Video’s latest series, The Rings of Power. After much anticipation and a lengthy production process., The Rings of Power is set to finally premiere on the streaming service.
Unlike the theatrical releases, The Rings of Power has a bit more freedom with its storyline since the series is not directly tied to a specific Tolkien novel. The show will take place thousands of years before the events shown in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, but it will share some familiar characters, including Elrond and the villainous Sauron. The fresh appearance of Middle-earth and minimized restraints of novel narratives have allowed the Rings of Power creative team to introduce an array of diverse characters, such as female dwarves and new characters of color. Unfortunately, this led a certain toxic section of the fanbase to speak out against the new show.
Clark, who was cast as a younger version of the Lord of the Rings character Galadriel, is now voicing her thoughts concerning the controversy. In an interview with Inverse, Clark dismissed the diversity criticisms as “nonsense”. Read below to see her full quote.
“[Tolkien] was a really complex person who wrote a really complex world, and this idea that anyone could know exactly what he would’ve wanted or what he would’ve liked is, I feel, nonsense.”
Detractors have widely voiced their concerns about The Rings of Power, citing issues about race, chronology, and much more. Hardcore Tolkien fanatics have traditionally been fiercely protective of his works, and any change to canon is frowned upon. The condensed timeline has many worried other changes will follow due to the shorter time span. These issues are coupled with more frustrating complaints about the introduction of actors of color, fearing the series is inserting diversity for agenda purposes rather than furthering Tolkien’s intended story. However, as Clark asserted, the idea that diversity in a fantasy world isn’t possible is absurd and should hardly be anyone’s biggest issue with The Rings of Power.
Showrunners and those connected with the show have denied that The Rings of Power is promoting a woke message, stating that modern politics have not influenced the show. The producers have also hired Tolkien experts to assist in the creation process to attempt to stay as true to material as possible. The Lord of the Rings trilogy faced similar backlash as well when it was first introduced, so enthusiasts of the franchise will be surely keeping a close eye on The Rings of Power to see if it will become a pop culture sensation.
