If anyone knows what it’s like to star in a globally recognized franchise like The Lord of the Rings or Pirates of the Caribbean, it is British actor Orlando Bloom. Known around the world as Legolas in the first three films of the franchise directed by Peter Jackson, Bloom started his career playing the Silvan elf on screen before moving into other projects like Prime Video’s current series, Carnival Row. Now, it appears that Bloom may be passing on his franchise legacy to another actor by posing in a sweet social media post alongside a familiar face.
Appearing next to Orlando Bloom in a picture posted to Bloom’s Instagram account is actor Ismael Cruz Córdova, who currently stars in Prime Video’s adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The Puerto Rican television star portrays Arondir in the prequel series, a Silvan elf similar to the character Orlando Bloom played in the original The Lord of the Rings series of films. The post to Instagram and to Bloom’s 6.1 million followers appears to reflect Bloom’s appreciation for Córdova as the latter seems to be taking on the responsibility of playing a Silvan elf, complete with a caption that says “Mellon,” which in the fictional Elvish language created by writer J.R.R. Tolkien signifies “friend.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power stars Ismael Cruz Córdova and an ensemble group of actors, including Morfydd Clark, Lenny Henry, and Dylan Smith. Noted as being a prequel set long before the events of The Hobbit and Jackson’s depiction of The Lord of the Rings, the new Prime Video series is currently airing its first season, which concludes with eight total episodes next month. Unfortunately for the show, however, racist bigotry has plagued the new series even before its premiere earlier this month.
According to a report by Deadline, several The Lord of the Rings stars have come out publically to defend the decision by Amazon to cast actors who are people of color in Elvish roles, including Ismael Cruz Córdova. With Orlando Bloom’s Instagram post, it may be apparent to fans of the franchise that the older generation of actors who worked on previous iterations of the series are ok with the casting, which has included similar social media comments from Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan. Since trailers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power initially dropped, Córdova has had to contend with racial hate speech and social media trolls that intend to take him down.
However, similar to the vitriol spewed at Halle Bailey after Disney released the trailer for the upcoming live-action version of The Little Mermaid, it doesn’t appear that Ismael Cruz Córdova is letting the bigotry get the better of him. After posing with Orlando Bloom in a social media picture meant to display a show of support for Córdova, the actor is back to work promoting his hit show. Córdova will next be featured in the crime thriller Finestkind opposite Jenna Ortega.
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