Before you read:
- Ludi Lin Slams Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ for ‘Huge World-Building’ Without Asian Representation
- AAPI immigrant representation on TV more than doubled since 2020, study reveals
Two of the new “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” cast members who Amazon announced on Wednesday are of Asian descent.
British Chinese actor Selina Lo and British Punjabi actor Gavi Singh Chera, along with six other recently announced actors, will play recurring characters in Season 2 of the hit Prime Video series, according to Deadline.
Lo, who is also a title-winning martial artist, has previously appeared in films such as “Hellraiser” and “Boss Level,” as well as TV series such as “One Child.” Meanwhile, Chera has previously appeared in onscreen projects such as “The Undeclared War” and “The Lazarus Project,” as well as onstage productions including The National Theatre’s “Behind the Beautiful Forevers” and The Yard Theatre’s “The Cherry Orchard.”
Beyond excited to be joining the Tolkien family. Let a new journey begin 🙏😊…. https://t.co/tLB6TGLsaf
— Selina Lo (@itsselinalo) December 7, 2022
Join us in welcoming Gavi Singh Chera to the cast of #TheRingsOfPower! (3/8) pic.twitter.com/Qdni0XmRYa
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) December 7, 2022
The recent cast announcement came a year after Chinese Canadian actor and activist Ludi Lin openly criticized Amazon Studios Head Jennifer Salke over the lack of characters of Asian descent in “The Rings of Power.”
“It’s going to be difficult to justify building a ‘huge world’ without any characters that look Asian,” Lin tweeted in response to an IndieWire article about Salke’s justification for the series’ $465 million budget.
Character roles and descriptions about Lo, Chera and the other new cast members have yet to be revealed. Season 2 production reportedly started in October, but fans are still waiting for an official release date.
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