The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power is being called out for its diverse casting. Neil Gaiman defends the show in a stunning manner.

“He said they were ‘browner of skin’”: &#8216;The Sandman&#8217; Creator Neil Gaiman Backs &#8216;The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power’s&#8217; Casting Choices in His Signature Style

The much-awaited American drama The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power is finally
here and fans can’t stop talking about it. The fantasy television series is set
thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Based on the fantasy
novels by J. R. R. Tolkien, the series depicts the second age of Middle-earth. 



The showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay have done a fabulous job with the
fantasy series. As per a report by Prime
[https://www.primevideo.com/detail/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-The-Rings-of-Power/0TUVXIO58IUNEPNBF8363Z7YGL],
a whopping 25 million viewers have watched The Lord of The Rings: Rings of
Power’s first two episodes. However, the most expensive television series has
also invited some criticism due to its casting. Amidst the negative reviews, The
Sandman [https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/the-sandman] creator Neil Gaiman has come
in support of the fantasy fiction.

ALSO READ: ‘The Sandman’ Creator Neil Gaiman Voices His Excitement Ahead Of The
Global Release Of Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power: “This is the sort of
thing…”
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-the-sandman-creator-neil-gaiman-voices-his-excitement-ahead-of-the-global-release-of-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-this-is-the-sort-of-thing/]


NEIL GAIMAN GIVES IT BACK TO THE TROLLERS IN STYLE 

The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power depicts the world of Harfoots who are
ancestors of the Lord of The Rings’
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy/] Hobbits.
Harfoots are a little different from Hobbits in terms of their lifestyle and
appearance. The characters are more nomadic in the fantasy series, with the
likes of Lenny Henry, Sara Zwangobani, Thusita Jayasundera, and Markella
Kavenagh playing the lead roles. However, the lesser white representation hasn’t
gone down well with a particular section of fans. 

> Tolkien described the Harfoots as "browner of skin" than the other hobbits. So
> I think anyone grumbling is either racist or hasn't read their Tolkien. Your
> mileage may vary.
> 
> — Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 2, 2022
> [https://twitter.com/neilhimself/status/1565687114649554944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]



Some fans of Twitter called out the diverse casting saying that the color of the
Harfoots doesn’t match with the characters described in Tolkien’s world. Neil
Gaiman, who is a great fan of Tolkien’s novels, defended the fantasy series by
recalling the author’s description of Harfoots. The Sandman writer
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-the-sandman-x-good-omens-neil-gaiman-shed-light-on-a-possibility-of-a-crossover-for-his-two-fan-favorite-shows/]
revealed that Tolkien defined Harfoots as “browner of skin” and thus their
diverse casting is justified. 

> Tolkien didn't say "The Harfoots spent longer in the sun than any of the other
> hobbits and were a lot more tanned". He said they were "browner of skin".
> https://t.co/ay7XDyjySr [https://t.co/ay7XDyjySr]
> 
> — Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 4, 2022
> [https://twitter.com/neilhimself/status/1566434477554995201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]



A Twitter user didn’t seem happy with Neil Gaiman’s
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-doctor-strange-is-way-up-the-line-neil-gaiman-reveals-marvel-boss-kevin-feige-rejected-his-and-guillermo-del-toros-pitch-for-the-film-before-the-mcu-was-set-up/]
explanation. He called out the famous author for deceiving the fans. As the user
mentioned that “browner of skin” means white people being tanned, Gaiman came up
with a direct reply of how J. R. R. Tolkien never said anything about the
Harfoots spending more time under the sun. 

ALSO READ: Neil Gaiman Hints at the Possibility of Including Asian Actors in
‘The Sandman’
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-neil-gaiman-hints-at-the-possibility-of-including-asian-actors-in-the-sandman/]

What do you think about the diverging casting controversy surrounding The Lord
of The Rings: Rings of Power series? Do let us know in the comments. 

Sakshi Jain

Comment

“He said they were ‘browner of skin’”: &#8216;The Sandman&#8217; Creator Neil Gaiman Backs &#8216;The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power’s&#8217; Casting Choices in His Signature Style - Netflix Junkie

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Sakshi Jain is an editor at Netflix Junkie with over three years of journalism experience. An information technology student by profession, Sakshi's love for movies and books inclined her toward a career in writing. Some of her favorite Netflix shows are The Crown, The Witcher, and Money Heist. She is an ardent cricket fan and in her free time, she is happy to watch any match happening around the globe. Sakshi has earned over 2500 bylines at websites including Essentially Sports, CricTracker, and One Cricket, and has a long way to go.

https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-he-said-they-were-browner-of-skin-the-sandman-creator-neil-gaiman-backs-the-lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-powers-casting-choices-in-his-signature-style

“He said they were ‘browner of skin’”: &#8216;The Sandman&#8217; Creator Neil Gaiman Backs &#8216;The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power’s&#8217; Casting Choices in His Signature Style - netflix-junkie

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The much-awaited American drama The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power is finally here and fans can’t stop talking about it. The fantasy television series is set thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Based on the fantasy novels by J. R. R. Tolkien, the series depicts the second age of Middle-earth. 
<div class="flex-video widescreen youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Rings of Power - 6 Minutes Trailers (2022)" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dkKgpZQgVUU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
The showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay have done a fabulous job with the fantasy series. As per a report by <a href="https://www.primevideo.com/detail/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-The-Rings-of-Power/0TUVXIO58IUNEPNBF8363Z7YGL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prime</a>, a whopping 25 million viewers have watched The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power’s first two episodes. However, the most expensive television series has also invited some criticism due to its casting. Amidst the negative reviews, <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/the-sandman">The Sandman</a> creator Neil Gaiman has come in support of the fantasy fiction.
ALSO READ: <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-the-sandman-creator-neil-gaiman-voices-his-excitement-ahead-of-the-global-release-of-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-this-is-the-sort-of-thing/">‘The Sandman’ Creator Neil Gaiman Voices His Excitement Ahead Of The Global Release Of Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power: “This is the sort of thing…”</a>
<h2>Neil Gaiman gives it back to the trollers in style </h2>
The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power depicts the world of Harfoots who are ancestors of the <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy/">Lord of The Rings’</a> Hobbits. Harfoots are a little different from Hobbits in terms of their lifestyle and appearance. The characters are more nomadic in the fantasy series, with the likes of Lenny Henry, Sara Zwangobani, Thusita Jayasundera, and Markella Kavenagh playing the lead roles. However, the lesser white representation hasn’t gone down well with a particular section of fans. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Tolkien described the Harfoots as &quot;browner of skin&quot; than the other hobbits. So I think anyone grumbling is either racist or hasn&#39;t read their Tolkien. Your mileage may vary.
&mdash; Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) <a href="https://twitter.com/neilhimself/status/1565687114649554944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Some fans of Twitter called out the diverse casting saying that the color of the Harfoots doesn’t match with the characters described in Tolkien’s world. Neil Gaiman, who is a great fan of Tolkien’s novels, defended the fantasy series by recalling the author’s description of Harfoots. <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-the-sandman-x-good-omens-neil-gaiman-shed-light-on-a-possibility-of-a-crossover-for-his-two-fan-favorite-shows/">The Sandman writer</a> revealed that Tolkien defined Harfoots as “browner of skin” and thus their diverse casting is justified. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Tolkien didn&#39;t say &quot;The Harfoots spent longer in the sun than any of the other hobbits and were a lot more tanned&quot;. He said they were &quot;browner of skin&quot;. <a href="https://t.co/ay7XDyjySr">https://t.co/ay7XDyjySr</a>
&mdash; Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) <a href="https://twitter.com/neilhimself/status/1566434477554995201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A Twitter user didn’t seem happy with <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-doctor-strange-is-way-up-the-line-neil-gaiman-reveals-marvel-boss-kevin-feige-rejected-his-and-guillermo-del-toros-pitch-for-the-film-before-the-mcu-was-set-up/">Neil Gaiman’s</a> explanation. He called out the famous author for deceiving the fans. As the user mentioned that &#8220;browner of skin&#8221; means white people being tanned, Gaiman came up with a direct reply of how J. R. R. Tolkien never said anything about the Harfoots spending more time under the sun. 
ALSO READ: <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-neil-gaiman-hints-at-the-possibility-of-including-asian-actors-in-the-sandman/">Neil Gaiman Hints at the Possibility of Including Asian Actors in ‘The Sandman’</a>
What do you think about the diverging casting controversy surrounding The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power series? Do let us know in the comments.

Neil Gaiman Hints at the Possibility of Including Asian Actors in ‘The Sandman’

‘The Sandman’ Creator Neil Gaiman Voices His Excitement Ahead Of The Global
Release Of Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power: “This is the sort of thing…”

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Neil Gaiman Backs The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power Casting

Sakshi Jain is a Primary Editor at Netflix Junkie. During her tenure as a writer for NJ, she penned articles on Hollywood entities like Meghan Markle, quickly becoming the go-to person for The Royal Family coverage. Now, as an editor, she guides her writers to uphold editorial standards and journalistic integrity.

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“He said they were ‘browner of skin’”: ‘The Sandman’ Creator Neil Gaiman Backs ‘The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power’s’ Casting Choices in His Signature Style

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