The Rings of Power cast was taken aback by a few comments that they received online for the show. Ismael Cruz Córdova, who plays Arondir, revealed that he was recently trolled for joining the Amazon Prime Video series. What was the reason, you ask? Well, he’s an actor of colour. Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin, and Billy Boyd— the Lord of the Rings veterans along with the cast have now extended their support to him and the other cast.

Córdova told Esquire that he received “pure and vicious hate speech” in his DMs almost every day. “I fought so hard for this role for this very reason,” he said. “I felt that I could carry that torch. I made sure that my elf was the most Elven, the most incredible because I knew this was coming,” he stated.

Wood, Boyd, and Monaghan promptly posted a picture wearing shirts with the ears of the LOTR creatures in various skin tones. The words – You Are Welcome Here – are posted in the caption. Astin posted a picture wearing the cap with the same design printed on it. Córdova thanked them for the sweet gesture.

A lengthy joint statement was shared by the Rings of Power cast as well. Condemning the careless behaviour of racist trolls, the statement read, “We, the cast of Rings of Power, stand together in absolute solidarity and against the relentless racism, threats, harassment, and abuse some of our castmates of colour are being subjected to daily. We refuse to ignore it or tolerate it.”

Head of Amazon Studios Jen Salke also came forward to address the issue. “We’re really proud of the cast that we have in the show. We welcome discussion and even criticism around the series; however, we will not condone racism of any kind,” she said. 

(Featured Image Credits: Getty/Dave Kotinsky)