Ismael Cruz Córdova 'Hurt' by Nasty 'The Rings of Power' Criticism: 'It's Poisonous'

"The Rings of Power" star Ismael Cruz Córdova breaks his silence on the controversial remarks on the "Lord of the Rings" prequel and reveals how he copes amidst the backlash.

Córdova portrays one of the Silvan elves, Arondir, in the LoTR prequel. "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" has currently released three episodes and is set to run a total of eight episodes for the duration of season one.

Recently, the Amazon series drew controversy, including the decision to cast people of color in the show, which some critics believe "ruined" their views on the franchise. The rampant internet backlash sparked debate on the vision of the late "The Lord of the Rings" author, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the "real" appearance of some races on Middle Earth.

In a recent interview with Deadline during the 74th Annual Primetime Emmys, the 35-year-old actor expressed that, while unfortunate, he already expected to receive backlash on his role.

"I mean one of them was I knew this was gonna happen. I would say - I mean I even got a few rejections to the role and I still kept going for it because I knew that there was gonna be disruption." The actor told Deadline. "And in my career my mission has been that. Occupy these places, put myself in that, in the front lines, be the image or the thing. I have no problem doing that so I did expect this."

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Córdova Shares His True Feelings

The "Rings of Power" star also got vulnerable talking about the negative energy he and his co-stars felt from internet feedback. However, Córdova shares the silver lining in his experience, as he had decided to cope by focusing on the positive messages instead.

"Does it hurt? Of course it does. It's an energy, it's toxic, it's poisonous, it carries no logic. But there's this undercurrent of change, and love and people are pouring their hearts into my DM's." The actor explained. "I try to read all of them, but, that's what matters to me. There's no longer gonna be a moment where there wasn't an elf of color. That chapter is closed baby."

Despite the online backlash "The Rings of Power" has been receiving, the LoTR prequel has been hailed with the biggest premiere viewership ever for Amazon Prime, garnering 25 million viewers on its first day. The show recently aired its 3rd episode on September 9.

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