The Hobbit star Richard Armitage has a very direct answer as to why he won’t be watching The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Armitage starred in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy starring Thorin Oakenshield, who was on a quest to take back the Lonely Mountain. The Hobbit the trilogy, which concluded in 2014, was the last live-action film adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s works until Amazon acquired the rights to make a live-action television series, Rings of power.
In an interview with Radio Times (via CBR), Armitage had a direct answer as to why he refuses to watch Rings of power. He explained that he simply had no interest in the fantasy genre as a whole after his residency The Hobbit franchise, and held nothing back in why he has moved on from the genre. Check out his statement below:
After two and a half years with Midgard, I am no longer attracted to fantasy. It’s really, really thin… But it’s our new film choice today too.
What do LOTR stars really think about the Rings of Power?
Armitage’s perspective on Rings of power is interesting, especially as it compares to what else Lord of the Rings stars have said about Amazon’s show. Most previous stars of the franchise have had much more positive reactions than Armitage, including Sean Astin, who previously portrayed Sam Gamgee, who had nothing but optimism for the series and gave it his Rings of power his blessing, and his co-star Elijah Wood, who played Frodo, was also open to the series, though he took issue with it by Lord of the Rings in the title when it is technically before that timeline.
Other things Lord of the Rings stars including Billy Boyd, Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen and Dominic Monaghan were overwhelmingly upbeat and supportive of the series. They wished the show good luck and expressed interest and excitement to see it. Armitage’s feelings were not entirely unique, however, as Hugo Weaving, who played Elrond, also expressed no interest in the series, explaining that filming Lord of the Rings was enough for him and he had no interest in diving into that world again.
Weaving’s and Armitage’s responses are understandable, indicating that they disrespect Tolkien or the works they were in, but admitted that they felt their time with Middle-earth was over after The Hobbit trilogy. It’s reminiscent of how Christopher Eccleston admitted he didn’t like his roles in Doctor Who and Marvel, and found no shame in trying something and moving on when it wasn’t quite what he wanted. Like fans, some Lord of the Rings stars felt positive towards Rings of powerbut others also found it acceptable to leave their Middle-earth experience to the earlier eras of the franchise.
Source: Radio Times (via CBR)