Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ismael Cruz Córdova and Charlie Vickers in The Rings of Power Credit: Matt Grace/Prime Video
In any lively fandom, a hearty debate is a sign of good health; When it comes to an entire fantasy realm, who would really expect universal opinions? But some of Prime Video’s The Rings Of Power debates have been far from nuanced – something co-showrunner JD Payne finds frustrating.
In a new interview with , Payne addresses some of the intensely racist backlash the series has faced since its release. When the series was first shelved, Amazon suspended ratings for 72 hours to avoid rating bombers. Amazon has since claimed that there was a coordinated attack on the show due to the diverse cast and strong female lead.
Speaking to THR, Payne makes it clear what he thinks the inclusive casting criticism was a disturbing misinterpretation of the text. In fact (contrary to the belief of a certain space-loving billionaire), Payne believes that Tolkien’s original volumes are all about finding common ground between different communities.
“The spirit of Tolkien is about diverse peoples who don’t trust each other and look different, who find common ground in friendship and achieve great things,” says Payne. “That’s the spirit we tried to inculcate in every single comma and period on the show. That this pursuit would make people offensive and angry… is very difficult for us to understand. What are they protecting? I don’t understand how people who say these things think they are fighting for good.”
Payne goes on to cite a specific moment in the still-airing seventh episode of the series that he finds particularly relevant to the controversy between the fandoms. What Payne addresses is one of Galadriel’s lines: “Every war is fought from without and from within.”
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“Even if you’re fighting for something you think is good, if you do something worse in that fight, you get angry,” Payne says. “I don’t understand how people who say these things think they’re fighting for good. It’s obviously evil.”