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TL;DR:

  • Ismael Cruz Córdova expected backlash to The Rings of Power‘s casting.
  • The Arondir actor is making a point to “occupy these spaces.”
  • Those behind The Rings of Power condemned the racist reactions to the cast.
'The Rings of Power' star Ismael Cruz Córdova. He's wearing a V-neck black shirt, golden hoop earings, and standing in front of a wall featuring the show's logo.
Ismael Cruz Córdova | Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Prime Video

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is honoring the Middle-earth we know and love, but it’s adding more diversity than Peter Jackson’s trilogy. The cast of The Rings of Power includes numerous actors of color, something that’s, unfortunately, sparked controversy online. According to actor Ismael Cruz Córdova, he anticipated such responses to The Rings of Power‘s casting — and it only made him more determined to take on this role.

‘The Rings of Power’ has received backlash over its diverse casting

Since The Rings of Power announced its cast, the Amazon series has received backlash for bringing on actors of color — an all too common occurrence in media these days.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the series “features Black, Latino, MENA, and Pacific Island actors,” making The Rings of Power’s Middle-earth far more diverse than the interpretations we’ve seen previously. But some are unhappy with this development, insisting that J.R.R. Tolkien intended a mostly white Middle-earth, as the fictional world is heavily inspired by England.

It’s an insidious argument that has no basis — both in terms of English history and J.R.R. Tolkien’s intent. And it’s one that fans of the show, cast members, and the creators have pushed back against.

Ismael Cruz Córdova — the Afro-Latino actor who plays Arondir — recently addressed the racism The Rings of Power cast has faced. According to him, such responses pushed him to fight harder for the role.

Ismael Cruz Córdova expected these reactions and wants to ‘occupy these spaces’

Ismael Cruz Córdova plays Arondir in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and the actor has experienced the backlash to the show’s casting firsthand. At this point, just about every non-white star has been subjected to vitriol. But Córdova believes it’s important to “occupy these spaces.”

Speaking with Deadline, Córdova admitted he expected the racist reactions to his role — and that he’s made it his goal to pursue such parts regardless:

“I took this role specifically. I’m a fan, and for a lot of reasons. One of them was that I knew this was going to happen. I even got some rejections for the role but I still kept going for it because I knew there was going to be disruption. In my career, my mission has been, to occupy these spaces and put myself on the front lines. I have no problem doing that. So, I did expect this.”

Córdova added that he’s received plenty of love from fans as well, especially those reaching out to support him through all the hate.

“Does it hurt?” he said. “Of course, it does. It’s an energy; it’s toxic; it’s poisonous and carries no logic. But there’s this undercurrent of change and love and people are pouring their hearts into my DMs.”

‘The Rings of Power’ stood by its cast amid diversity backlash

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The Rings of Power cast is well aware of the racist responses to the show’s diversity, but fortunately, they have support from their costars. Amid all of the backlash, the cast took to the show’s Twitter to condemn the hatred being leveled at their colleagues.

“We, the cast of The 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 statement began. “We refuse to ignore it or tolerate it.”

The post went on to emphasize the inclusive nature of Middle-earth and note that the BIPOC actors aren’t going anywhere:

“J.R.R. 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 of evil. Rings of Power reflects that. 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.”

The original Lord of the Rings stars also chimed in to offer their support, with Dominic Monaghan, Elijah Wood, and Billy Boyd posting a photo on Twitter with the message “You Are All Welcome Here.” Sean Astin shared the same sentiment in his own Twitter post.

It’s sad such things need to be said in 2022, but there’s some hope to be found in the support and solidarity. Hopefully, one day, actors of color will be able to exist in these spaces without fielding hate. Until then, messages like these are important.

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