Posted in: Lord of The Rings, TV | Tagged: lord of the rings, the rings of power
LOTR: The Rings of Power: Morfydd Clark on Toxicity, Galadriel Growth
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star Morfydd Clark on drowning out last season's toxicity from some "fans" and Galadriel's growth.
Morfydd Clark joined an unfortunate growing group of actors and creatives who deal with the darker side of fandom as The Lord of the Rings franchise ventures into uncharted territory on screen in Amazon Prime Video's The Rings of Power, the prequel series, which shares the same universe as the Peter Jackson films, is set long before the events of The Hobbit and LOTR trilogies. The ensemble cast is led by Clark, who plays a younger version of Galadriel, originally played by Cate Blanchett in the films. Speaking with Elle, the Saint Maud (2019) and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) star opened up about the backlash she received from toxic fans on social media over her portrayal of the character.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Star Morfydd Clark on Taking on the Challenges of Galadriel
When it came to the initial reception of the Prime Video series, "I was just totally unprepared when season 1 came out," Clark said. "I've seen a really dark side of what it means to be someone who [anyone] can write a message to on Instagram, and a really lovely side." The actress admitted the negativity came "primarily from men," but there was balance that came from those who embraced the character, saying, "Lots of the criticism I got from some [fans] were for the things making other people feel liberated while watching [Galadriel]. What certain people didn't necessarily enjoy about her, other people did. She takes up space; she's unapologetic. I didn't want her to act like a human woman who's been taught not to be abrasive." The actress noted while every other character she's played has "shame built in," Galadriel "doesn't have that."
For more, including comments from showrunner J.D. Payne on how he wanted to help mold Clark's incarnation to grow into the "prideful, young warrior" that Blanchett's version becomes, EP Lindsey Webber and co-showrunner Patrick McKay, you can check out the complete piece here. New episodes of The Rings of Power premiere on Thursdays on Prime Video.