‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ cast on being ‘incredibly excited’ to tell Season 2’s ‘iconic story’
Warning: the following story contains spoilers from “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Season 2, Episode 8 — read at your own risk!
Prime Video celebrated the end of the second season of “The Rings of Power” by gathering some of the cast members for a screening of the 74-minute finale, “Shadow and Flame,” on Tuesday night. The all-guild FYC event was held at The London Hotel West Hollywood and featured a cast Q&A with Charlie Vickers as Sauron/Halbrand/Annatar, Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor, Markella Kavenagh as Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot, Maxim Baldry as Isildur, and Owain Arthur as Prince Durin.
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The cast members talked about what they were most excited to tackle in Season 2, the pressures working on the big-budget fantasy series based on the J. R. R. Tolkien books, and how they have to keep so many secrets because “LOTR” characters like Sauron and Gandalf are so well-known. There are 16 series regulars for “The Rings of Power” and 23 recurring guest actors, and they will be eligible at the upcoming Screen Actors Guild Awards.
“I was incredibly excited to tell this story,” Vickers explained. “It sounds a bit biased, but the story of Sauron and Annatar and Celebrimbor is such an iconic story in Tolkien’s work. We’ve become massive Tolkien fans just doing this show, but there’s a whole community of people that have had images in their mind about this story for so long. So for us to bring that to screen, and kind of put our own stamp on it and be the gatekeepers of the story at this time, has been very cool.”
Edwards chimed in, “The big thrill about it was that it’s never been told on the screen or in any adaptation. We knew that there would be a story [about the creation of the rings], but we didn’t know how close to Tolkien it would be. Once that was all in place, we knew we were going to have a really wonderful season, and we did.” He also loved the “mind domination” that took place between Sauron and Celebrimbor this year.
Baldry rather enjoyed the “level-up of action” in Season 2. “Isildur, my character, gets stuck in a bit more desperately in the mud, trying to get clean after that. And also romance,” he added. “It was the first time I ever did a second season of a show, so we were allowed to delve deeper into these characters and flesh them out, and it’s been such a rewarding experience for all of us.”
Arthur readily admitted, “Not often do you get to jump into somebody else’s shoes for such a long time. Going into Season 2, having the audience knowing a lot about you, and getting to dive in deeper and further with Peter Mullan [as King Durin] on set was such a treat. He’s a phenomenal actor and everybody knew who he was before he came to us, and he’s one of the most generous actors to work with.”
Kavenagh mentioned how Season 1’s Nori was “in such a different place,” but now, “she’s seen a bit more of the world in Season 2.” The actress was “so excited” to meet the Stoors this year because “it was completely unexpected — I had no idea where they were gonna go with Nori and the Stranger.” That was a reference to cast member Daniel Weyman, whose true identity was revealed in the season finale. Nori “had to grow up a bit faster than she thought she would,” Kavenagh concluded.
Two years ago, the first season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” received six Emmy nominations (costumes, main title theme music, main title design, prosthetic makeup, sound editing and visual effects), plus bids at the SAG Awards (stunts), Critics Choice Awards (supporting actor Ismael Cruz Cordova), Art Directors Guild, Costume Designers Guild, Motion Picture Sound Editors, Visual Effects Society and more.
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