Actress Nazanin Boniadi (ex-Dr. Leyla Mir, General Hospital) beat out thousands of performers to land a role in Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings television series.
Showrunners and executive producers Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne announced the news via an official statement that reads, "After undertaking an extensive global search, we are delighted finally to reveal the first group of brilliant performers who will take part in Amazon's The Lord of the Rings series. These exceptionally talented women and men are more than just our actors: they are the newest members of an ever-expanding creative family that is now working tirelessly to bring Middle-earth to life anew for fans and audiences worldwide."
While character details have yet to be announced, Deadline reports that Boniadi will be joining Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, and Daniel Weyman in the series that begins filming in New Zealand next month.
Set in Middle-earth, the television adaptation of The Lord of the Rings will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring.
Boniadi is a British-Iranian actress who played the role of GH's Leyla from 2007 to 2009 and also appeared as the character on General Hospital: Night Shift in 2007. After leaving soap operas, she went on to appear in series like How I Met Your Mother, Scandal, Homeland, and Counterpart. Her film credits include Bombshell, Hotel Mumbai, and Iron Man.
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