MANILA, Philippines — British actor Charles Edwards and Australian actor Charlie Vickers have the most screen time together as Celebrimbor and Sauron, respectively, the key figures in Season 2 of Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
In the new season of the eight-episode show set in Middle-earth’s Second Age — thousands of years before the events in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” — the first three rings crafted by Elven smith Celebrimbor successfully prevent the “passage of time” for the Elves in Middle-earth. However, Sauron, disguised as Annatar, then persuades him to create additional rings of power with obviously more sinister intentions.
Four episodes are now streaming on Prime Video, with a new one dropping tomorrow.
Vickers and Edwards, as well as other cast members, were recently interviewed by The STAR during the Asian press junket for the show in Singapore.
Teasing what viewers can look forward to in Season 2, Vickers shared, “I think it’s a season full of twists and turns.”
“It’s incredibly exciting. It’s very fast-paced, like, right from the (onset). The thing that it really epitomizes, it’s like the prologue finishes, which is Sauron’s backstory, as you’ve seen. The titles come up and then you kind of launch straight into, like, two horses galloping. And it’s kind of a metaphor for the whole season.”
Addressing his co-star Edwards, Vickers noted, “You like to use the analogy of a massive boulder rolling down a hill. I’ve never heard that analogy before. And yeah, it implies, like, just a lot of destruction.”
“That’s why I’m using it,” agreed Edwards, who also came up with more words to describe the follow-up season. “Out of control. Dangerous.”
“The season is like an avalanche — an avalanche of joy, grief, loss, pain,” continued Vickers.
“And that’s an original answer. We haven’t said that (in other interviews),” he quipped.
Edwards as the Elven smith Celebrimbor with the character Galadriel who is played by Morfydd Clark.
The co-stars also expressed their pride in being part of a production and embodying pivotal characters that celebrate Tolkien’s world.
Edwards said, “It’s thrilling. It really is. I mean, every day, you know, it never becomes humdrum. You’re never reluctant to be there. It’s because it’s such a huge excitement to be part of ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ I can’t even believe I just said that.”
“It’s an extraordinary thing and still wondrous to be part of, and it’s magic,” he further enthused.
Below are more excerpts from this paper’s exclusive chat with “The Rings of Power” stars:
My first question is actually for Charles as Celebrimbor. I wonder, how did you approach your character with a major storyline but was given brief mentions in Tolkien’s stories.
Edwards: “That was the best part about it. He’s integral, clearly, which I didn’t realize before I started this job, but mentioned very much, as you say, briefly in passing, as a footnote.
“And that’s what I think this whole series has capitalized on so well is that it takes Tolkien’s sort of signposts and fills in the gaps between them. And it seems to be a perfect opportunity for an adaptation like this. And a character like Celebrimbor… is a perfect example of that.
“You know, the expectation, for example, would be far more intense if it had been played before. It’s never been played before in a screen version. So, it’s been a real joy to do it.”
And for Charlie, there’s a lot of excitement for you playing the Dark Lord Sauron. How did you prepare for the role the moment that you learned you were going to be Sauron?
Vickers: “First of all, I think I was relieved more than anything because I had an inkling that maybe I was Sauron before they told me. Because they didn’t tell me until the start of the third episode in Season 1.
Vickers as Sauron under the guise of Annatar.
“But I think I prepared pretty much from having to focus on the character as a three-dimensional character and try and remove any preconceived notions of, like, him being a supervillain because I get that he plays that role in the story.
“But I went right into the text, what Tolkien wrote about this time period and tried to really understand him from Tolkien’s perspective. And he is written as a really interesting, interesting character! And, yeah, understanding was the first step.”
But playing an iconic villain — giving a face to what was once just a blazing eye — was it more of a pressure or a challenge? Or was it the exciting part?
Vickers: “I think that’s just the exciting part. I think the pressure is relieved when you know that it’s kind of like a finished article.
“Particularly in a show like this, where you go through… it’s just another interpretation and then there will be another interpretation in the future.
“Whether it’s by us again, you know, when I get another chance, if we do it, if we do another season or it’s kind of just like, you learn as you go.
“And we put everything into it, this storyline, we just love doing it so much, and I have the perspective of, like, well, this is what we made.
“We had an amazing time doing it, and we put everything into it, and we hope you like it, and if you don’t, fair enough. We’re very proud of it.”
This season, we can expect a lot of screen time between the two of you. What’s going to be dynamic between your characters?
Edwards: “I think the main thing to remember is that it’s not just a puppet and puppet master. It descends into all kinds of other areas later in the season, but initially, they’re embarking on something together.
Photos courtesy of Prime Video
“I mean, he has presented himself as the leader, the advisor, the God, the deity, which he is. So, you know, I’m being led in some sense in that way. However, in terms of ability and status, Celebrimbor is still, you know, they’re vying for… They both need something from the other. One is dependent on the other.
“So that leads to a kind of interesting disruption of equilibrium as we progress through the season.”
How was it on set and working with each other?
Vickers: “Fantastic. And we’ve talked about it a lot. Like, it just felt very easy. And I think that sense of ease is an underrated thing with acting because a lot of the time you see actors, and this is not a criticism at all, but it’s just an observation.
“I think sometimes actors feel like they need to push or be very confrontational or whatever it might be, and maybe there’s times that call for that.
“But, I think we found a real sense of ease working together, which kind of meant that we were very comfortable and open to just exploring and playing around.
“And also, we both prepared really thoroughly, which kind of meant that we could come to the work with a lot of confidence.”
Edwards: “Also, we were given the space even on shooting days, not necessarily on rehearsal days, on shooting days to take time to… there was a lot of discussion with the directors. Like, how do you think we should do this? You know, it’s very collaborative and very satisfying in that way.”
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