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'The Rings of Power's Sara Zwangobani on diversity in the 'LOTR' universe
Zwangobani plays Marigold Brandyfoot, stepmother to the ever curious Harfoot, Elanor.
By Juliana Montana
Thankfully, recent racist hate speech surrounding the inclusion of Black actors in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's Middle-earth hasn’t dampened star Sara Zwangobani’s spirits.
In a conversation with reporters including SYFY WIRE at New York Comic Con last weekend, the actor who plays Marigold Brandyfoot, stepmother to the ever curious Harfoot Elanor, underlined how much of “an incredible honor and a privilege” it was for her to join J.R.R. Tolkein’s universe.
“I was a massive fan of the books myself when I was a kid!” she enthused.
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As a longtime fantasy lover, Zwangobani saw “there was not much in the way of diversity in the fantasy genre,” even if a lot of the stories she immersed herself in dealt with diverse themes. Within Tolkein’s books, for example “part of his themes were about different races trying to get along and different realms trying to work together.”
The idea of getting along with other races is very prevalent for the nomadic Harfoots of which Marigold Brandyfoot is a part of. Whether it's a Stranger falling from the sky in a huge ball of fire or just a wandering farmer, the Harfoots encounter tons of different types of peoples throughout Middle-earth. When signing onto the Rings of Power, she thought that “adding more diversity in the mix can only add to that theme.”
Looking for more fantasy? Check out the Harry Potter films streaming now on Peacock.
