Astin posted a selfie on his own Twitter account, while Wood, Monaghan and Boyd came together for a single photo. Both tweets feature the captions “You Are All Welcome Here.” In the photos, the actors are wearing shirts (and, in Aston’s case, a hat) with a design by Don Marshall, who is known on TikTok as the “Obscure Lord of the Rings Facts Guy.” The design features a line of ears of different shapes and colors, with the phrase “You All Are Welcome Here” in Tolkien’s elvish language. The design can be purchased on Marshall’s online store, which includes several Tolkien-inspired designs.
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Award-winning author Neil Gaiman has also voiced out against the backlash against diversity. The author pointed out that Tolkien himself mentioned some characters having “browner of skin” than others. Gaiman also publicly called Tesla CEO Elon Musk when he announced that Tolkien was ‘rolling in his grave’ over the portrayal of male characters.
Holding Steadfast Against The Invaders
Earlier this morning, the official Twitter account for Rings of Power posted an announcement of their own. The post in question, which can be seen below, is a firm message. They are not only supporting their actors but also the fans as well. The post gained support from the likes of the official Star Wars Twitter and was re-tweeted by Rings of Power composer Bear McCreary, who added in the message, “there is no place for racism in fandom.”
As for the actors of color in question, they are thankfully hearing these messages of support. Sophia Nomvete shared the official announcement from the Rings of Power accounts on her own Instagram account. Meanwhile, Ismael Cruz Cordova, who plays the elf Arondir, has retweeted and commented his thanks to the posts from Astin and Wood, as well as the official Rings of Power account.
The concept of high fantasy being a “whites-only” game is, sadly, an old argument that never seems to go away. But thankfully, more and more fans have been coming out to show their support, for either their own fellow fans or the actors portraying the new heroes. The message is loud and clear, even to this day. Fantasy is for everyone, and there is always room in Middle Earth.
