Why You Can Trust CNET 'Lord of the Rings' Original Hobbits Support 'Rings of Power' Cast Amid Racist Backlash
The actors who played Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin have spoken.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Dominic Monaghan, Elijah Wood and Billy Boyd.
The four original hobbits from The Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies have posted their support of the Rings of Power cast amid racist backlash about the Amazon Prime Video series' choice to cast diverse actors in roles.
Dominic Monaghan (Merry), Billy Boyd (Pippin) and Elijah Wood (Frodo) appeared in a photo together wearing a shirt that says "you are all welcome here" in Elvish atop an image of elvish and human ears in multiple skin tones. Sean Astin (Sam) also appeared in a solo photo wearing a matching baseball cap.
"You are all welcome here," the caption reads, linking to where you can buy the shirt.
"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 color are being subjected to on a daily basis," the official Amazon Prime Rings of Power account posted Wednesday. "We refuse to ignore it or tolerate it."
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered last Friday on Amazon Prime Video, pulling in 25 million global views in its first 24 hours.
