deerstalker

https://blackgirlnerds.com/sara-zwangobani-is-marigold-brandyfoot-in-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/

Prime Video’s The Rings of Power is one of the most highly anticipated series this fall. The TV series is a prequel to the Lord of the Rings film trilogy we know and love,set thousands of years before.

Australian actor Sara Zwangobani plays Marigold, who is a Harfoot. Tolkien lore describes the Harfoot as predecessors to Hobbits. BGN spoke with Ms. Zwangobani via Zoom in early August about the audition process for Rings of Power, how her theater background influences her work in television, and about her other career as a high school english teacher.

As a long time Lord of the Rings fan, I’m excited to see you on screen.

We are super excited to share it. I can’t actually believe that it’s nearly upon us because it’s been such a long journey. 

What was your audition process like?

For me, unlike for some of my poor castmates, the audition process was quite straightforward. I did a self tape early 2019 for Nazanin Boniadi’s character Bronwyn, sent that in, and didn’t hear anything back. I went on about my business. Then in October of 2019, I got another call for self tape for a different character. Funnily enough, that day I was just really busy with life and was thinking it just didn’t work out last time. Then I sort of kicked myself in my bottom and said, “No, Come on. Just just go and get the tape down.” I very quickly did the tape, sent it off, and went about my life. Late January of 2020, I was in Australia about to come back to Los Angeles. I had everything booked and was due to leave within a few days. I got a call asking me to be in New Zealand within three days to start work, and was on the show within two weeks. It’s amazing. I had so little time to think about it. It just all fell into place.

How does your theater background come into play when creating characters in the fantasy genre?

Theater training is incredibly useful for fantasy and science fiction because it’s such a heightened world that’s quite natural to a theatre actor. I have done quite a bit of Shakespeare, and all the voice training and the the work on the text, the thinking about the richness of language, all of that was immediately transferable to this show, particularly with Tolkien because it is so lyrical. It has so much depth, but you also need to make be able to make it seem natural. These people speak like this all the time. Theater training and voice work are so useful for this genre.

You’re also an English teacher, and I hear you still teach due to the teacher shortage Australia is experiencing. 

Yes, I often go back to teaching there because there is a teaching shortage. Just before this campaign, I did a contractor school at home. And some of the kids found out I was on this show, and they were like,”What are you doing here, Miss?” It makes me sound like a total good Samaritan, but I also do it because I just love teaching kids English. Communication, it’s the thing that makes the world go round. Really, doesn’t it? So yes, I am still teaching. I probably will do some even now after the show starts because I’ve got a little hiatus before I do another thing, a play. So yeah, I go back to school all the time.

You’re going to be popular. 

You know what? The status of being an actor in a show of this caliber only goes so far with teenagers. You’re popular for a minute, and then they’re like, “Hey, I’m more important because I’m seventeen.”

Is there any other character in the series that you thought was a juicy role you’d like to play?

Well, there’s actually a lot of them: Arondir, Ismael Cruz Cordova’s character; Owain Arthur’s Dwarf Prince Durin. But overall of course, I love my half-foot world. It’s become my world. But oh, I wouldn’t mind a crack at a crack at Cynthia Robinson’s character, Queen Míriel; she’s quite an incredible character.

And were you a fan of this series?

I was a big fan of the books, read them when I was very young, which started my love of fantasy. I’m sure that you’ve heard that I’m a big fantasy sci-fi nerd, which is why this is like a perfect marriage talking to Black Girl Nerds! When the Lord of the Rings movies came along they were like a Christmas present every year. I adored them. I was transported, and I felt like they were made by someone who really understood the books and wanted to do them justice. That’s not dissimilar in Rings of Power in terms of J.D. and Patrick and everyone involved in this project really wants to do justice to this world. I was talking to Rob Aramayo [Elrond] in London the other day, and for two hours we were talking about how much passion everybody has for this show.

Rings of Power is going to shift perspective for people who in the past weren’t visible in the Lord of the Rings films. There will be Black and Brown female action toys from this world! How does it feel to be able to leave that as a part of your legacy as an artist?

What you’re talking about resonates with me very much from my own childhood of growing up and loving fantasy, but finding very few faces that reflected back at me. I have a daughter who’s nearly eight, and I am so proud. I can’t wait for  her to see this. I’m so proud that she’s gonna get to watch it and see these faces of color. It’s just going to be there from the word go. With no explanation — it’s just we belong. That’s deeply important to me. At Comic Con, I tried not to get teary, but I had a girl come up to me, Anna Maria took a photo with her, who just said how much it meant to her. She talked about when she was a little girl and she just said this is so necessary for people of color to be reflected back at viewers. And she got teary and I got teary, and that moment reminded me of why we do this work. As storytellers we want people to feel that they belong and that these experiences are their experiences. We need to be there. It’s incredibly important.

What’s bringing you the most joy?

My daughter, my little Brown girl, just everything about her. She’s way better than me. She’s a massive improvement on the original model. And yes, she brings me joy every single day. She actually allows me to be a kid every single day. She’s my joy.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres Friday, September 2, 2022.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/get-in-the-gundam-everyone-the-witch-from-mercury-prologue-dropped/

When the first teaser for the latest installment of the long running franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam, was first shared five months ago, I was hooked immediately.

As the gentle piano medley slowly swelled into a full-blown triumphant theme, we saw the newest face of the franchise standing in front of her Gundam. Yes, in the forty plus years the franchise has been around, this was noted as the first time a woman would be the primary protagonist. But today, we’re not here to discuss the inherent imbalance of representation in traditionally “boy spaces.” We’re here primarily to talk about the fact that we have been blessed such that on August 31st, the “Prologue” episode of the series was made available on YouTube. Somehow, despite already being excited about the series, I am currently fawning over the 24 minutes of gorgeous animation that has been presented to me, and I’m now wishing for the entirety of September to simply vanish so it can be October.

The last mainline Mobile Suit Gundam Series was Iron-Blooded Orphans, which aired way back in 2015 through 2017 (which not so coincidentally also aired alongside a different Mecha anime that dealt with rising tensions between Earth and Mars with Aldnoah.Zero). And as much as the Gundam franchise is remembered for its giant robots fighting other giants, the franchise has always been anchored in deeply political roots, showing large scale conflict over limited resources between various factions with differing interests and how certain individuals get embroiled in the mess. Iron-Blooded Orphans was a brutal 50-episode run that showed the horrors of war and child soldiers doing their best to survive and be there for each other. And I oscillate between an elated ecstatic response and deep emotional distress to the fact that The Witch from Mercury is following suit.

The “PROLOGUE” episode opens with an unnamed woman in the cockpit of a Gundam running what appears to be a series of initialization checks. From the get, the crisp animation with Tron-esque lines and holo-displays as the dialog registers as a deeply orchestrated procedure, a careful technical duet between human and machine. When the start-up fails, the women piloting the Gundam takes off her mask, revealing a face that resembles the one in the poster, but isn’t quite right. And then a small child shows up and you know exactly where this is headed.

The “PROLOGUE” episode is a masterfully efficient episode of storytelling, immediately staging how as humanity endeavored to start starfaring they developed GUND technology as a stopgap measure for prolonged space habitation. Like many technological advancements, the technology was immediately co-opted for military purposes with the Gundam program. However, given that the strain of piloting Gundams was also effectively killing and maiming the pilots, there had been heated debates over the continued development. This tension is further heightened by increasing tensions between Earthens and Spacians.

They could have released the first five minutes of the episode alone and I would have already been sold. The biomechanical imagery they invoke is simply iconic and awe-inspiring, capturing the very spirit and hope of what we love about science fiction: picturing a world where the formerly impossible is now within arms-reach.

And just as quickly, we are reminded that the capitalist framework and the military industrial complex are still alive and well. As much as I adore my giant mechas, the fact remains that there are representations of literal war platforms and like in many mecha-centric series, there is a bodily price that needs to be paid when piloting machines.

Yet even with the context, The Witch from Mercury remains optimistic as young Eri bonds with the Gundam her mother and father have staked their livelihoods on, even going so far as claiming she’s the robot’s big sister. The entire crew of Ochs Earth’s space station outpost are clearly a large familial unit all endeavoring to make space accessible for more people. Which makes the inevitable, proverbial levee breaking all that more tragic when the Spacian government declares that the Gundam program needs to end immediately.

As a taste of what’s to come, the “PROLOGUE” presents a gamut of moral quandaries, ranging from discussions of bioethics, wartime protocols and responsibilities, and the purpose of space. And then it goes a step further by showing the natural consequences of factional struggle, the innocence of children during wartime, and parents making the biggest sacrifice they can in order to provide a glimmer of an opportunity for the aforementioned children. Thematically, the series is already running at full speed. And from an audiovisual experience, this is near transcendental. The animation and sound mixing is incredibly on point, and the expressions of the characters throughout the episode can absolutely gut you.

And in the midst of this grand interstellar conflict brewing, there’s so many smaller, quieter moments that hit home. Elnora’s prosthetic arm failing just as she’s about to the place the candle on Eri’s birthday cake.

The lead scientist explaining the importance of the latest Gundam model to her (in essence) granddaughter.

Eri putting aside her jealousy of the machine that takes her parents away from her for large swatches at time and asking if it likes cake.

This is truly Gundam at its finest. The deep dives into what necessitates technological innovation. The scathing critique on using force to impose a specific will. The lines that are crossed in pursuit of an ideal. The crisp, clean animation and fight scenes that make you clench your fists for a wide variety of reasons.

As a long-term fan of the genre, I was already excited, but this prologue has me unreasonably excited for the proper release. We have been given a glimpse into the origin story of Eri, and given the pedigree of the series, we are in for a modern odyssey.

And the best part is, if you don’t trust me, you can make your own evaluation as the prologue is readily on YouTube right now. I’ve somehow already managed to watch it twice, and I just want more.

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The post Get in the Gundam Everyone, ‘The Witch from Mercury – PROLOGUE’ Dropped appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/twinn-the-disasters-at-warner-bros-discovery-and-dc/

The moves being made by Warner Bros. Discovery are being felt throughout the entire entertainment industry. Victoria and Keith are here to break down what’s happening and why. 

Hear about that and more on This Week in Nerd News.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

Check out other episodes of TWINN here.

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The post TWINN: The Disasters at Warner Bros, Discovery, and DC appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

https://nerdist.com/article/the-rings-of-power-elrond-and-durin-friendship-dwarves-elves-lord-of-the-rings-history-explained/

Legolas and Gimli developed a mutual respect and deep fondness for one another during The Lord of the Rings. Their relationship was especially meaningful in a story rife with great friendships because elves and dwarves so rarely made for loyal companions. But despite the two races’ history, The Rings of Power has already introduced another unexpected fellowship: Elrond and Durin IV. But their close relationship is not totally unexpected. It happened during the one time in Middle-earth’s history when elves and dwarves truly got along. However, whether that was good or not is another matter entirely.

Elrond and Durin’s Friendship on The Rings of Power

The Rings of Power‘s first two episodes didn’t reveal exactly when the show takes place during the Second Age. But we know Elrond and Durin IV—son of King Durin III of Khazad-dum—had not seen each other for 20 years. That’s not a big deal for an ageless elf like Elrond. But it is for “Durin’s Folk.” During that era dwarves of that line had a life expectancy of roughly 300 years.

While we don’t know when the two first met, either, we can make an informed estimation. Dwarves are considered ready for battle at 30. They’re not considered adults, though, until at least 65. And they reach “old age” at 240. King Durin, at minimum, looks close to old age, while his son does not.

Durin IV’s wife and kids also tells us something important. “Dwarves seldom wedded before the age of ninety or more.” The means Durin IV is probably at least 100 years old. Combining everything we know about a dwarf’s lifecycle, it’s therefore reasonable to imagine him and Elrond became friends after Durin was old enough to fight. Or when Durin became an adult. So they must have known each other for 40 to 50 years, minimum. However, that number might easily exceed a century or more if Durin is older.

How and why did they become friends, though? Elrond’s travels almost certainly led him to Durin’s kingdom.

The Elf Realm of Eregion and the Dwarf Kingdom of Khazad-dum

Gil-galad, the High King of the Ñoldor, tasked Elrond with working with Celebrimbor. That master elf smith rules over Eregion, a realm of the Ñoldor Elrond already knows well. Galadriel, Elrond’s close friend, once ruled that land. And as a herald of Gil-Galad, Elrond would have visited Eregion often for centuries.

Eregion is also very close to Khazad-dum, where King Durin reigns in Moria. Eregion sits at Moria’s west gate. Whether on official business or for pleasure, Elrond likely visited Khazad-dum sometimes, where he’d be welcomed. Elrond had fought alongside dwarves during the War of Wrath that dominated the First Age.

The more time Elrond spent in and near Khazad-dum the more he would have encountered Durin IV. Whatever their interactions, it resulted in a rich friendship. It had to have been for Elrond to give Durin the seed of a Lindon elf tree and for Durin to treasure that gift like a third child.

Of course, proximity doesn’t entirely explain their friendship. The two had millennia of strained relations between their races to overcome.

Animosity Between Elves and Dwarves in The Lord of the Rings‘ World

Legolas and Gimli had to conquer mutual feelings of animosity dating back thousands and thousands of years between their races. And yet, there’s no real good reason for why that ill-will existed. Even the most infamous moment of conflict between elves and dwarves doesn’t explain their long-held dislike. Especially since they often worked together during the earliest days of Middle-earth.

The real tension is less about any specific incidents and more about the their respective status in the world.

Elves are the eldest “children” of Ilúvatar, the supreme being of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world. (Men were meant to be second.) But before elves even awoke in Middle-earth, Aulë, one of the Valar—powerful beings just below Ilúvatar—created elves deep in the mountains of Middle-earth. Ilúvatar had not permitted Aulë to generate life. But he took pity on dwarves and let them sleep until the birth of elves. Dwarves awoke a century after the elves.

Dwarves and elves are inherently different. The wise and beautiful elves are tall noble beings of grace and skill. They barely tread on land and do not age. They can live forever, as elves are the closest of Middle-earth’s race to the Valar, whom they were meant to live with in Valinor (where Galadriel refused to go.)

Meanwhile, dwarves are not graceful. Aulë had no idea what elves looked like and tried to guess at Ilúvatar’s design. They’re stout, strong, and sturdy with incredible endurance. Unlike elves, they can also grow beards, even most of their women, who male dwarves outnumber 2-1. They keep them long and bushy. Dwarves also excel as miners and smiths, crafting items even elves envy. For all those reasons and more, dwarves are notoriously stubborn, proud, and secretive. (They don’t even tell other races their real names.) They’re also intensely loyal to one another. But as rough around the edges as dwarves might be, they’ll still help a stranger in need.

So why the animosity if both races are inherently good? Because elves who stayed in Middle-earth believed themselves to be above all other races. That’s a big reason why they didn’t return to Valinor, where they’d always be below the Valar. Meanwhile, the proud dwarves had a chip on their shoulder dating back to their very creation as imitations of Ilúvatar’s favored children. It’s as though elves, akin to angels, and dwarves, like stone made flesh, were designed not to like one another. Shared animosity was part of their very natures.

We saw how Legolas and Gimli overcame that. But how did it happen thousands of years earlier with Elrond and Durin? Timing is everything.

The Friendship of Elves and Dwarves During Middle-Earth’s Second Age

The subtext of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work reveals why elves and dwarves didn’t like one another. But a letter the author wrote in 1951 to Milton Waldman explicitly states the one instance when the two races were real friends. And it’s during the exact time Elrond and Durin would have crossed paths. Here’s what Tolkien wrote:

“…at Eregion at the Western feet of the Misty Mountains, adjacent to the Mines of Moria, the major realm of the Dwarves in the Second Age. There arose a friendship between the usually hostile folk (of Elves and Dwarves) for the first and only time, and smithcraft reached its highest development.”

The Lord of the Rings showed us how a dwarf and elf became friends, but The Rings of Power already introduced a duo like that. What it has yet to reveal is how Elrond and Durin became friends and if their personal relationship led to unity between all dwarves and elves, even for a brief moment.

Of course, like all things in Middle-earth, there cannot be good without bad, even friendship. And we all know what the highest development of smithcraft in Middle-earth led to—the forging of the rings of power.

The post Elrond and Durin’s Friendship on THE RINGS OF POWER, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.