Lenny Henry on ‘Lord of the Rings’ series diverse cast: “People want to see themselves”

nme.com:

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star Lenny Henry has praised the series for its diverse cast.Henry, who plays Sadoc Burrows in the forthcoming Prime Video series rebooting the franchise, addressed the newfound inclusivity.“That’s to do with it being the 21st century; people want to see themselves,” the actor said in an interview with The Times.“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.”Discussing the entertainment industry more broadly, Henry added: “I didn’t see anybody in charge of anything that looked like me for a very long time, so that is lonely.“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.’”Earlier this year, Lenny Henry said it was “interesting” to observe an apparent lack of “Black and brown faces” at Glastonbury festival as well as other UK events.A new trailer for The Rings Of Power was released last week, showcasing Middle-earth in its Second Age and teasing characters  including Galadriel, Elrond, High King Gil-galad and Celebrimbor.The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video from September 2..