Rings Of Power showrunner J.D. Payne addresses "patently evil" racist backlash

"It’s very hard for us to understand," says Rings Of Power co-creator J.D. Payne of some of the show's virulently racist criticism. "What are they protecting?"

By Hattie Lindert  |  October 5, 2022 | 8:06pm
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Rings Of Power showrunner J.D. Payne addresses
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Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ismael Cruz Córdova, and Charlie Vickers in The Rings Of Power Image: Matt Grace/Prime Video

In any vibrant fandom, some hearty debate is a sign of good health; when an entire fantasy realm is in question, who would expect any truly universal opinions? But some of the debates surrounding Prime Video’s The Rings Of Power have been anything but nuanced—something co-showrunner J.D. Payne finds frustrating.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Payne addresses some of the virulently racist backlash the series has faced since its release. When the series first dropped, Amazon suspended reviews for 72 hours in an attempt to evade review bombers. Amazon has since asserted that there was a coordinated attack against the show due to its diverse cast and strong female lead.

Speaking with THR, Payne makes it clear what a distressing misinterpretation of the text he thinks the inclusive casting criticism is. In fact (on the contrary to a certain space-happy billionaire’s belief), Payne feels that Tolkien’s original tomes are all about finding commonality across diverse communities.

“The spirit of Tolkien is about disparate peoples who don’t trust one another and look different from one another finding common ground in friendship and accomplishing big things,” Payne says. “That’s the spirit we’ve tried to inculcate into every single comma and period in the show. That this aspiration would be offensive to people and enrage them … it’s very hard for us to understand. What are they protecting? I don’t see how people who are saying these things think that they’re fighting for good.”

Payne continues on to cite a specific moment in the series’ yet-to-air seventh episode he finds especially relevant to the inter-fandom controversies. What resonates with Payne is one of Galadriel’s lines: “Every war is fought from without and within.”

“Even if you’re fighting for something you think is good, if you do something worse in that fight, then you become evil,” Payne says. “I don’t see how people who are saying these things think that they’re fighting for good. It’s patently evil.”

 
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