Actress of Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power says she received statistically the most racist abuse among cast.
Sophia Nomvete, best known as Disa from Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has addressed receiving “statistically” more racist abuse from cast and crew alike.
Rings of Power was one of the top TV shows last year, yet its journey wasn’t an easy one. Critics criticised certain characters’ accents as “lazy and offensive”, causing ratings losses when compared to rival House of the Dragon series. While filming season two began PETA issued orders not to use real horses after one died on set; and an anonymous fanfiction writer has sued over purported intellectual property claims by Rings of Power creators; moreover numerous cast members suffered racist harassment which Sophia Nomvete spoke open about in her recent interviews about her experience during filming season two filming session.
Nomvete addressed The Hollywood Report about the shocking level of abuse she endured upon learning she would play Grace Jones: ‘When the announcement and pictures of our faces from that announcement went up online, I became statistically the most attacked cast member from all shows combined – I received N-bombs, comments containing racist epithets such as: ‘you are too fat/black/what are you here for’ etc etc etc etc etc I even received one very polite person that said this to her directly: “‘ I know you are an amazing actress/person but think this situation just doesn’t sit right – please send your resignation to Amazon along with your letter thanking me,”” she added that “it all adds up”.
Nomvete responded, “‘No, I cannot. I simply can’t afford to resign for you; therefore sadly I remain.” Nomvete’s character Disa is the first female dwarf of color featured in The Lord of the Rings universe and Nomvete considered her casting an enormous milestone both personally and professionally. She described this experience as being “huge”.
“My presence in this show wasn’t just celebration; it was defiance against an unfair reality – that women have no place on screens or fantasy spaces […] For her and our industry/generation, it was essential for me to harness my power and my light through this character as much as I possibly could; therefore I marched over to showrunners beg them not make her subservient, subordinate, or just funny fat friend… Instead I begged them make her quite sexual titan.”
Nomvete will reprise her role of Disa in Season 2.
