Rings Of Power showrunner talks “patently evil” racist backlash

[ad_1]

Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ismael Cruz Crdova, and Charlie Vickers in The Rings Of PowerImage: Matt Grace/Prime Video

In any vibrant fandom, some hearty debate is a sign of good health; when an entire fantasy realm is in question, who would expect any truly universal opinions? But some of the debates surrounding Prime Videos The Rings Of Power have been anything but nuancedsomething co-showrunner JD Payne finds frustrating.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Payne addresses some of the virulently racist backlash the series has faced since its release. When the series first dropped, Amazon suspended reviews for 72 hours in an attempt to evade review bombers. Amazon has since asserted that there was a coordinated attack against the show due to its diverse cast and strong female lead.

Speaking with THR, Payne makes it clear what a distressing misinterpretation of the text he thinks the inclusive casting criticism is. In fact (on the contrary to a certain space-happy billionaires belief), Payne feels that Tolkiens original tomes are all about finding commonality across diverse communities.

The spirit of Tolkien is about disparate peoples who dont trust one another and look different from one another finding common ground in friendship and accomplishing big things, Payne says. Thats the spirit weve tried to inculcate into every single comma and period in the show. That this aspiration would be offensive to people and enrage them its very hard for us to understand. What are they protecting? I dont see how people who are saying these things think that theyre fighting for good.

Payne continues on to quote a specific moment in the series yet-to-air seventh episode he finds especially relevant to the inter-fandom controversies. What resonates with Payne is one of Galadriels lines: Every war is fought from without and within.

G/O Media may get a commission

Up to 33% off

Canon Camera National Promotion

Webcam kits, lenses, & moreSince many of us adopted working from home, weve become accustomed to the crappy video quality output of our laptops built-in webcams. Present yourself professionally with the help of a professional quality camera. Dress to impress now means set dressing and picture definition. Canon has made it easy to take your EOS camera and convert it to a webcam with the help of a variety of kits.

Even if youre fighting for something you think is good, if you do something worse in that fight, then you become evil, Payne says. I dont see how people who are saying these things think that theyre fighting for good. Its patently evil.

[ad_2]