Though The Rings of Power has become a massive hit for Amazon, it received an intense wave of backlash, ever since its announcement. Some of it was fair criticism – after all, original material based on a classic novel hardly ever goes well – but when casting announcements began to appear, and several actors of color were credited in key roles, it was clear that a lot of the backlash was racially motivated.
Among the actors who felt the sting of the racist backlash was Ismael Cruz Córdova, who portrays Arondir in the series. Córdova, who happens to be Puerto Rican, spoke about the racism he and several other cast members experienced during an appearance on the Just for Variety podcast.
Córdova is clear that the hate he and other cast members received became so intense, that Amazon actually had to hire an on-set therapist. “It hurt,” Córdova admits. “It had a psychological and mental health impact. That’s something that I’m very, very open about so that people understand that what they do and say online really hurts people, really has an impact on us.”
Córdova revealed that the hate got so bad, his own personal information was nearly stolen. “My phone got hacked,” Córdova said. “I had bank account attempts of being hacked. My PayPal got hacked. My friends got messages. I got death threats. I got things mailed to me. People found out my address. It was a lot of that.”
Still, Córdova managed a smile and said, triumphantly, “We’re still here.”
Córdova’s persistence will likely pay off. The actor has proven himself to be a talented and integral part of The Rings of Power, and he recently revealed that he’d like to play White Tiger in the MCU. In fact, Córdova teased that he was personally pretty close with the casting directors over at Marvel Studios, who had contacted him about some unknown roles.
It must be said that Córdova’s experience is not a unique one – unfortunately, many actors of color have faced racist backlash for simply being cast in a project. The experience must be a truly terrifying one – having hordes of internet users spew racist rhetoric and violent language would be enough to rattle anybody. Luckily, it looks like Córdova is thriving, and to combat this scourge, perhaps supporting actors and actresses of colors, so that they can thrive despite it all, is the best course of action to take.
