The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power showrunner J.D. Payne has responded to racist abuse levelled against the show and its cast.After the prequel series debuted in September, the show was targeted with criticism regarding the diversity of its cast.
A statement was released on Amazon’s Lord Of The Rings Twitter account after the two-episode premiere, which condemned the “relentless racism, threats, harassment and abuse” against the cast.Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Payne described the backlash as “patently evil” and that it goes against the spirit of author J.R.R.
Tolkien.“The spirit of Tolkien is about disparate peoples who don’t trust one another and look different from one another finding common ground in friendship and accomplishing big things,” Payne said. “That’s the spirit we’ve tried to inculcate into every single comma and period in the show.“That this aspiration would be offensive to people and enrage them… it’s very hard for us to understand.
What are they protecting? I don’t see how people who are saying these things think that they’re fighting for good. There’s a line in episode seven where Galadriel says every war is fought from without and within.
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