The cast members of the original Lord of the Rings franchise have come together on social media to defend the new series Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power after the show started facing racist backlash online.
The Rings of Power has broken records for Amazon Prime Video and been celebrated for its diverse cast, but racist trolls have still managed to complain over the amount of POC actors in prominent roles.
And now, Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan have all voiced their support for the diversity as Wood – who starred as Frodo Baggins in the Peter Jackson trilogy – of the three of them together wearing a T-shirt featuring ears of various Middle-earth creatures in different skin tones.
He paired that up with the caption: ‘You are all welcome here,’ and a link to the website where people can buy the T-shirt. And as per the website, 50% of its proceeds are set to go to a POC charity.
Sean Astin, who played Samwise Gamgee in the original trilogy, a picture of him wearing the same design on a hat.
This comes after the Rings of Power social media handles posted a statement condemning the racist backlash, with the cast and crew of the show.
The statement read: ‘We, the cast of Rings of Power, stand together in absolute solidarity against the relentless racism, threats, harassment, and abuse some of our castmates of colour are being subjected to on a daily basis,’ it read.
‘We refuse to ignore it or tolerate it.’
The statement added that Rings of Power reflects the world JRR Tolkein created, where ‘free peoples from different races and cultures join together, in the fellowship, to defeat the forces of evil.’
They also stood in solidarity with POC fans who had been caught in the crossfire, and thanked them for their support: ‘We see you, your bravery, and endless creativity. Your cosplays, fancams, fan art, and insights 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 LOTR family – thanks for having our backs.’
The Rings Of Power is available to stream on Prime Video with new episodes arriving each Friday.
