Jaime Campbell Bower hints at Celeborn's missing past in The Rings of Power, debuts new clip from season 3

November is just around the corner, and for fantasy fans, it's going to be the season of The Lord of the Rings. Prime Video is set to debut the third season of its Second Age spinoff The Rings of Power on November 11, and the marketing campaign is in full swing, with actors doing interviews, new posters and trailers dropping left and right, and fresh images hitting the internet what feels like every other day. Suffice to say, those who want to spend a bit more time in Middle-earth are eating well at the moment.

One longtime fan of Tolkien's work who has made the leap into starring in the series is Jamie Campbell Bower. Best known for his time as the lead villain Vecna on Stranger Things, Bower is joining The Rings of Power this season as Celeborn, the husband of the Elf Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), who has been missing for the entirety of the show so far. Where has he been?

Bower provided a clue during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where he showed off some of the prosthetics he's used in both The Rings of Power and Stranger Things:

Celeborn has been imprisoned for the entirety of The Rings of Power so far

The interview as a whole is pretty fun; it's always nice when it feels like the actors on a press tour are genuinely having a blast, and that really does seem to be the cast with Bower's recent appearances. Fallon wanted to know more about the "lover boy" Celeborn, amusingly noting that Bower went from "the most terrifying monster in existence to the most coolest, nicest, good-looking Elf in Lord of the Rings."

"He's lovely," Bower said of Celeborn. "He's Galadriel's husband — Galadriel as we all know, famously played by Cate Blanchett, in our show played by Morfydd Clark, who is amazing and wonderful. I've been sort of in prison for the last two seasons. And she thinks that I'm dead. And so I've sort of reappeared, and I'm like 'Hey, I'm back. How are you doing?'"

This confirms what we've seen hinted at in the most recent trailer for the season, which shows Celeborn being tortured by Sauron. Galadriel's husband has been imprisoned far from the rest of the Elves, presumably for centuries. However, one important thing to note is that Sauron could not possibly be the only person who kept Celeborn captive, since the Dark Lord himself was also absent for a time during the lead up to and events of season 1. There's obviously more to the story here.

Bower also talked a bit about how The Rings of Power uses the same prosthetics designer as Stranger Things: Barrie Gower, who also designed the Night King for Game of Thrones and the clickers for The Last of Us. At this point, it's starting to feel like Gower is a constant in these sorts of fantasy productions, much in the same way that conlanger David J. Peterson happens to turn up whenever there's a fictional language in a sci-fi or fantasy series these days.

It's clear that Bower enjoys working with Gower, though he's relieved to not have to spend seven-and-a-half hours in the prosthetics chair for The Rings of Power like he did for Vecna in Stranger Things. The actor even busted out his Elf ears from the show, along with his Vecna glove from Stranger Things, which he's been carrying around with him on the press tour.

Celeborn and Galdriel, dancing partners for the ages

Near the end of the interview, Bower shares a clip from The Rings of Power season 3 which shows Celeborn talking to Galadriel in the forest. The two flirt, with Celeborn thinking Galadriel is dancing alone in the woods, only for her to say she's sparring. This leads to more flirting, further proving the claims of Celeborn being a "lover boy."

This is an interesting clip, because it seems like Celeborn and Galadriel don't know each other well. If it takes place after they're reunited in season 3, then it could be they're getting reacquainted. However, we also saw in the trailer that it seems like we're going to witness their first meeting this season as well. Perhaps this scene takes place during the First Age or early in the Second?

As for what's in store in season 3, according to Bower it's all about Sauron. "This season picks up five years after the end of two," he said. "Sauron is on this quest to craft the One Ring, you know? And this season that is his sort of main drive...to destroy Middle-earth. Charlie Vickers, who is playing Sauron, is amazing."

The actor revealed that he's been a fan of The Rings of Power since its first season, but claims season 3 is a step above what's come before. "This season sort of takes us towards the...opening of those first movies that we know and love so well," he said.

With Sauron forging the One Ring, the introduction of Nazganôl, the Balrog, and Celeborn, it certainly seems like The Rings of Power season 3 will prove that claim. The show has never had more recognizable elements from the Lord of the Rings films and original trilogy of books, and I have a feeling it will only make for a more compelling season.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres its first four episodes November 11 on Prime Video. You can find a full breakdown of its somewhat unusual release schedule here.

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