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The Lord of the Rings: Sir Lenny Henry on Amazon Series' Diversity

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J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings franchise has garnered fans across generations and globally. The Peter Jackson films opened a window for more to better appreciate Middle Earth, which is something Amazon Prime Video is hoping to expand upon in the live-action prequel series The Rings of Power. Among those to help to bring the series to life along with diving into uncharted waters in the Tolkien-verse is star Sir Lenny Henry, who plays Sadoc Burrows, a harfoot (proto hobbit). Henry spoke with the UK Times (via Deadline) about the streamer's diverse casting beyond fair-skinned characters.

Lord of the Rings: Lenny Henry Praises Amazon's Series Diversity
Thusitha Jayasundera, Lenny Henry, and Sara Zqangobani in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Image courtesy of Amazon Prime Video

"That's to do with it being the 21st century; people want to see themselves," Henry said. "Of course, if you go back, there's going to be that thing that prevails because the books don't say . . . although some of the characters are described as hard-skinned and darker in complexion . . . but that was then, this is now, and we're telling the story now." The actor spent decades campaigning for greater diversity in the entertainment industry as one of the rare Black faces on British television throughout the '70s and '80s. Henry's since been joined by others like Idris Elba, David Harewood, David Oyelowo, and Riz Ahmed in speaking out.

"I didn't see anybody in charge of anything that looked like me for a very long time, so that is lonely," Henry said. "You've got all of these people now saying the same things that I started saying in 2000, which is, 'The industry needs to change, and can it hurry up, please.'" Another highly-anticipated series the actor is et for is Netflix's upcoming The Witcher: Blood Origin. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on September 2nd on Prime Video.

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Tom ChangAbout Tom Chang

I'm a follower of pop culture from gaming, comics, sci-fi, fantasy, film, and TV for over 30 years. I grew up reading magazines like Starlog, Mad, and Fangoria. As a writer for over 10 years, Star Wars was the first sci-fi franchise I fell in love with. I'm a nerd-of-all-trades.
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