A The Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power Star Says Fan Response Is Toxic

Ismael Cruz Cordova from the Rings of Power has responded to the racist backlash he has received.

By James Brizuela | Published

Ismael Cruz Cordova stars in The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, and he is now the subject of how vile the internet can be. The man plays an elf by the name of Arondir, and people are beginning to provide plenty of racist backlash because of the color of Cordova’s skin. This has led to the actor responding about how toxic the fanbase of a franchise can be.

“Does it hurt? Of course it does. It’s an energy, it’s toxic, it’s poisonous, it carries no logic. But there’s this undercurrent of change, and love and people are pouring their hearts into my DM’s. I can’t reply to all of them but they’re like, “We heard that people are being mean, we heard that they’re doing this. We’re gonna flood your DM’s with love.”

Ismael Cruz Cordova rings of power

We would caution Cordova to step away from reading the comments sent to him online. Although there are plenty of people coming to the defense of his acting and character in the Rings of Power, there are also plenty of people who are going to say negative things on the internet. No matter what anyone does, there will always be people that feel the need to spew their vitriol online about the subject.

Despite the negativity that has been aimed at Cordova playing the role of an Elf in Rings of Power, the series has grown into one of the most popular shows ever made for Amazon Studios. In fact, the series is currently in a war for popularity with HBO’s House of the Dragon. That war is something that hasn’t been stated outright, but we know that both fantasy-based shows were going to release around the same time and offer a sort of viewership battle.

Cordova is not alone as Rings of Power holds a diverse cast that includes Lenny Henry, Sara Zwangobani, Thusitha Jayasundera, Maxine Cunliffe, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, and Tyroe Muhafdin. All these actors have stepped into roles that fans are loving, as a brand-new universe from Tolkien is explored. Although many people have expressed their displeasure with the source material being messed with as well, the series is still going quite well.

The Lords of the Rings: Rings of Power first aired two episodes on September 1st. The third was on September 9th and the rest will be airing every Friday until the eight episodes of this first season are concluded. The “fans” of the series began to review bomb the show, as it now has a 39% approval rating. However, critics have a much different opinion of the show, as it stands at an 84% approval rating.

Despite the negative hate that has appeared online for Rings of Power, there are plenty of people that are lauding the new series for taking chances and messing with the format of the Tolkien world but doing so respectfully. We commend Amazon Studios for going all-in on the series as well, as it stands as the most expensive show ever made.

Although Ismael Cruz Cordova has been affected by the negative comments he has seen, we hope that he understands not everyone on the internet is going to stoop to the level of racism and hate. Rings of Power is a huge achievement and there are plenty of people watching the series that think the same. Haters are going to exist in this world no matter what, and it’s better to just tune out those toxic people.