‘The Rings of Power’ cast members open up about creating racial backlash: ‘These characters are undeniable. We felt a lot of love’

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power cast member Cynthia Addai-Robinson, who plays Queen Regent Miriel; Ismael Cruz Córdova, the warrior elf Arondir; and Sophia Nomvete, Princess Disa, the first black dwarf in Middle-earth, made her way to Lucca Comics & Games on Sunday, the unique event dedicated to pop culture, cosplay and comics taking place in the medieval Tuscan city of Lucca.

In conversation with Diversity, The three black actors spoke about the racist backlash to being cast as the main characters on the Prime Video show.

“There was a bit of apology, a bit of silence, but there was an undeniable change,” Nomvete said.

Read the full conversation below.

How does it feel to be at this big Comic-Con-like event in a medieval Tuscan town with thousands of cosplayers taking to the streets?

Cynthia Addai Robinson: I’m thrilled when I see the level of creativity and passion. All these different movies, TV shows, books, comics and manga. Just the amount of time it takes people to literally make these costumes from what they have at home! It brings you back to something very innocent and pure and non-judgmental. When people come to these events, it’s about finding their community. Feeling a little less alone, a little less weird. As what we do can be challenging at times, it’s a good reminder of why we do what we do – to be part of this larger storytelling environment.

Sophia Nomvete: The only thing I would add is that the difference here is that you are usually in an area where there is a part of the city that is Congress. In Lucca, the whole city becomes a congress.

Ismael Cruz Cordova: I am very grateful to everyone who created this for creating a safe space for difference. This is very important to me.

Speaking of which, the inclusion of blacks in the cast of “The Rings of Power” sparked racial backlash online. A few weeks later do you feel that the conversation on this aspect has died down a bit?

Cruz: The fact that attention has shifted to it shows you the power of shows like this. The fact that it struck that nerve, and that our appearance in it evoked a reaction, only draws attention to the size of the imagination, the size of The Lord of the Rings, and why it’s actually a good thing we’re here. Has it gotten a little too much? Absolutely! It took airtime from the depths of who we are as artists. But it just shows you where we are in the world and how much work we still have to do. I’m just very grateful that it’s us who are able to recalibrate, shape-break, redesign and make history.

Addai Robinson: In order not to have such a strong impact, the pendulum must swing. We are in the middle of this process. We just want to normalize. We need to discuss this because we’re now in a societal space where we have to – at times – acknowledge exactly what’s happening. This level of distraction or aggression that was shown to us – it was a painful journey to get there – but it uplifted us. It has put us in a position where there will be a plaque one day when the pendulum has swung where it belongs. We will have badges on the people who fought the great battle to get to a point where there isn’t such an eruption based solely on that when a casting announcement comes along. While it was challenging, being a part of it was a phenomenal moment. The doors are open and the accessibility is available for absolutely anyone to feel safe in a franchise and a story of this magnitude. It was really important and empowering. Tears have been shed, blood has been shed – figuratively – but here we are.

Surname: To answer your question, we still get a lot of controversy, but there has been a shift. Do you know what was there? It feels like sitting down. It feels like we almost have to prove ourselves. We had to defend ourselves. But there is no denying that these people are in the position where they deserve to be and where they should be. There is no one who could have played the role. I really feel like there has been a shutdown. I even apologized, which I love, even if it was just one person admitting that attitude was wrong.

Cruz: In the beginning it was a lot: “Tell us what you’re doing.” The show wasn’t over. Now the characters live for themselves. We created these characters who, with the help of a whole team, live on their own and have their own impact. And as the talk and noise outside continues, these characters are undeniable. We felt a lot of love.

Addai Robinson: I was pretty adamant, just on a personal level, that I would never let controversy define the role or the experience. There’s a level of hiding you need to do when people are trying to get at you. I had to try as best I could to take ownership of this experience for myself. It’s taller than me; it is bigger than us. You can have your personal reasons for being part of something, then it kind of goes beyond that. People will take what they take. But at this point we feel pretty free and happy to just talk about the story and the characters.