It’s no mystery that the new Lord of the Rings show has been met with some pretty racist backlash, and while the crew themselves have been standing up against racism, they are getting some help from the actors of the OG LOTR trilogy.
Hobbit actors Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd have come out to show their support by wearing shirts that read ‘You are welcome here,’ in elvish with some multi-colored ears below that. Here’s Wood’s post:
You Are All Welcome Here @LOTRonPrime @DonMarshall72 #RingsOfPower https://t.co/8txOhlHa2f pic.twitter.com/nWytILT0zG
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) September 7, 2022
And even if he wasn’t able to appear alongside Frodo, Merry, and Pippin, Samwise Gamgee actor Sean Astin also showd his support by wearing a hat with the same print:
You are all welcome here.#RingsOfPower @LOTRonPrime #MiddleEarth #Samwise @ElijahWood @BillyBoydActor @DomsWildThings @DonMarshall72 https://t.co/w2tdZ4nFwN pic.twitter.com/f4RsBKE9an
— Sean Astin (@SeanAstin) September 7, 2022
A lot of people aren’t happy about it, but any huge property that decides to be more inclusive is always met with backlash with a lot of ‘fans’ crying foul at the IP for pushing a ‘woke agenda.’ We don’t know what will eventually eradicate this problem with multiple fandoms, but as long as there are people who have something to gain out of all this hate, I think this kind of culture is going to be sticking around.
We stand in solidarity with our cast. #YouAreAllWelcomeHere pic.twitter.com/HLIQdyqLmr
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) September 7, 2022
What’s important is, there are people with voices in the fandom who are using their platforms to spread a more inclusive message, and making sure that the racists are called out for their terrible behaviour. Who knows, maybe they can even change a few minds along the way.
For now, you can enjoy The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
