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It’s hard to overstate the influence that The Lord of the Rings has had on the fantasy genre. George R.R. Martin has spoken extensively about the influence that J. R. R. Tolkien has had on his writing, even stylizing his own penname after the British writer. And at this point in the 21st century, who hasn’t tried to do a Gollum imitation at least once? 

Well, perhaps Tom Glynn-Carney, who plays Aegon II on HBO’s House of the Dragon show. Speaking at New York Comic Con 2024, Glynn-Carney admitted that he had never seen Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. The actor clearly was not expecting that to be met with hostility, as pockets within the audience began to boo in response. Matt Smith, Glynn-Carney’s cast mate on House of the Dragon, quipped, “No one is coming to our photo opp now.” 

We’ve all got our blind spots in pop culture. For instance, I’ve never seen an episode of Friends (not that you care about what I have and haven’t seen specifically, but you can catch my drift here). So please don’t bully Glynn-Carney over this, even though it’s a pretty glaring omission. Perhaps the audience's response to his admission will finally give him the push he needs to watch three of the greatest films of all time. 

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