‘Lord of the Rings’ Actor Bernard Hill Slams ‘Rings of Power’ as ‘Money-Making Venture’: ‘Not Interested in Watching It’
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Bernard Hill, the actor best known to “Lord of the Rings” fans around the world as King Théoden, hit out at Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” in a recent interview with Metro. “The Rings of Power” aired its eight-episode first season on Amazon Prime Video this fall. When asked if he watched the show, Hill snapped back, “No, not interested.”
“It’s a money-making venture and I’m not interested in watching that or being in it,” Hill said. “Good luck to them and all that stuff but it’s not like the real thing.”
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Hill was then asked if “The Lord of the Rings” franchise should’ve ended after Peter Jackson wrapped his original trilogy with “The Return of the King,” to which the actor responded, “Completely, yes.”
“I think they were pushing it when they made ‘The Hobbit.’ ‘The Hobbit’s’ a tiny book,” Hill said. “They did it well – they did it really, really well. They expanded it [but] I think you can only stretch a piece of elastic so far. I think they managed it in ‘The Hobbit’ because there were some really good things in ‘The Hobbit’ without a doubt.”
Hill will never know what’s in “The Rings of Power” as he’s refuses to watch it. The showrunners of the series have mapped out a five-season plan for “The Rings of Power,” which stands as the most expensive television show ever made with a first season budget north of $400 million. If all five seasons of the show get made, it’ll cost Amazon north of $1 billion.
Critics were largely favorable to “The Rings of Power,” with Variety calling the series “sweeping” and “gutsy.” While it’s unclear if Hill’s “Lord of the Rings” co-stars Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, Sean Astin and Dominic Monaghan watched “Rings of Power,” the four main hobbit actors from Jackson’s original trilogy did support the series against racist online trolls who were outraged over the inclusive casting in “Rings of Power.” Amid racist backlash, the four actors posed for photos wearing shirts that featured the ears of Middle-earth creatures in various skin tones. “You are all welcome,” Wood wrote on Twitter.
All eight episodes of “The Rings of Power” Season 1 are now streaming on Prime Video.
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