We talk to the actors behind Sauron, Elrond and more about The Rings of Power season 2

The second season finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power aired earlier this week, and we had the pleasure with speaking to several cast and crew members about the show, the season, the characters, and where things go from here. Check out our exclusive interviews below!

Interviews have been edited for clarity and length.

Robert Aramayo (Elrond) and Benjamin Walker (Gil-galad) talk snatching victory from the jaws of defeat

WinterIsComing: You two were left out of the big action episode in season 1 of The Rings of Power. This time, you were in the thick of it these past two episodes. Were you guys happy you got to mix it up this time? And what was the preparation like for these action scenes?

Robert Aramayo: The main thing was we were doing the siege of Eregion, you know what I mean? So it was some battle with a bunch of orcs over there, it would have been different, but I felt like a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility and I really wanted it to be something. Because it was the siege of Eregion, it's written, it's something that we have, we don't have many of these things in the Second Age. I just felt the pressure of wanting to do it justice. Even though we mess with the timeline of it and we mess with how it actually unfolds to a degree, the spirit of it is very similar. So I just felt that. I just felt that responsibility, and that's what I was most,, most aware of when working on it.

Benjamin Walker: And technically there was quite a bit of prep, particularly for the fighting and particularly for Rob. But I think the most prep we have to give to the crew. The months that it took to take some grassy knoll in the middle of the woods and turn it to a wall and Eregion, filled with detritus and destruction and flames, was humbling to say the least.

WiC: The final scene of the finale is you two and Galadriel and Arondir. And it's kind of you two giving an inspirational speech, rallying the elves. So you suffer this crushing blow at Eregion, but the final scene is pretty hopeful. Where do you think Elrond and Gil-galad find it in themselves to uplift people like this?

Benjamin Walker: Well, in spite of the circumstances at large, we are in a better position. In the first episode, there might be seemingly more peace in Middle-earth, but our relationships are fractured. I mean, you're [Robert Aramayo] jumping off waterfalls for crying out loud. Whereas in the last episode, though we may have suffered a strategic defeat, we may have lost friends and the beautiful city of Eregion, we stand united in principle and in ultimate goal. There is much more hope in terms of what we are capable of when we work together.

Also, one thing that [episode director Charlotte Brändström] does beautifully is that even before the king makes his full revolution to lift his sword aloft, the spirit of the elves is already resounding. You know that this kind of Elvish war cry starts to billow up from the woods. We just kind of turn it loose as opposed to, 'come on guys. Let's get back in the game!' It's more like, 'are we doing this?' And there is a resounding affirmative.

WiC: Robert, I know we're out of time, but I have one question I wanted to ask you. I might just be dense but...when Elrond goes to kiss Galadriel on the tent, does he slip her the lock pick?

Robert Aramayo: Yeah.

WiC: In that case, the follow up is, did he kiss her as cover or did he kiss her because he wanted to, or a little bit of both?

Robert Aramayo: Kiss her as cover, I would go with. There's a function to it, putting some hope into the situation. But, you know, it's also a really heightened moment and he also, you know, thinks that she might die very soon. So it is emotional. And it's odd but I think it's supposed to be odd.

Charlie Vickers outlines Sauron's intentions on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

WiC: I want to ask about a scene in the finale, probably my favorite scene of the season. It was you and Celebrimbor, you're poking him full of arrows. He's dying. He defies you, you get angry and you kill him. Could you talk a bit about playing that scene? What was it like? Was it as intense to act as it was to watch on the other end?

Charlie Vickers: "Yeah, it was the scene that stood out to [Celebrimbor actor Charles Edwards and myself] most when we read the script and it's the scene that I've often been asked throughout the last few months of junketing for this. When they ask what scene are you most looking forward to, and I say, 'oh, there's one in episode eight, but I can't talk about it.' So now I can.

"It was an incredibly intense a day, two days even. But we did the bulk of it on one day. And yeah, it was demanding. Charlie in particular had really long speech that he had to do. And then he was hoisted up the wall when he was impaled on the spear. It was really swings and roundabouts. And it's kind of the first window into Sauron's full descent into darkness, because we've seen him and we know that he's manipulating, but now he's openly torturing someone. And I think it was also exciting because it's canonical, right? Celebrimbor's torso was full of arrows when he died. And so to be able to tell that story and then impale him on the spear and hoist him into the air was really cool, because it's an iconic image in Tolkien."

WiC: I think my favorite thing Sauron said was when he was poking him full of arrows, he was saying, 'look what you're doing to yourself.' It was great. How sincere do you think Sauron's belief is that he wants to make Middle-earth a better place? He wants to bring peace, but at the same time he's doing this stuff.

Vickers: "I think from his perspective, and therefore from mine, it is sincere. He has to try and heal, and reorder. Tolkien was specific in saying that he wants to reorder and rehabilitate Middle-earth. But he also said 'Sauron is the like the absolute evil in my stories,' and that's what he needs to represent. So you're kind of juggling both as an actor. I have to justify everything I'm doing so that it's grounded in truth. But then I know that I'm serving the story by being the villain of the story. And the two aren't mutually exclusive. He can be doing things that he thinks are right and then have moments where he loses control and goes too far from our perspective. But for him, he just thinks, 'well, that's just a blip. Whatever, I killed him. But now I'm gonna move on.'

"And in a sadistic way, you see that in the scene, he kills Celebrimbor and he is quite emotional and out of control and upset about it, because Celebrimbor was a great, great creative partner and someone he really respected and he really could have used Celebrimbor. But also he's hidden the nine from him and Celebrimbor has defeated him in that moment. So you see him kill him and then he just kind of changes when Glug comes in, the orc, and is on to the next task. Yeah, it's interesting."

WiC: Any reflections on the differences between playing the two version of Sauron we've gotten so far? Halbrand versus Annatar: is anyone easier, more fun, less fun?

Charlie Vickers: "They're both equally challenging. It's been really fun to...delve into like the darker parts of the character [in season 2] was really fun, as he starts to be show his true colors a bit more. [That's] been really cool to explore. But one thing I'm super excited about with this character and I love doing is that, like, he's always is different and it's equally challenging, because it always needs to be grounded in the truth of the character. But like, what's he gonna do next? Who is he gonna manipulate next? He's the deceiver, right? So it gives you a lot of license as an actor to really play and that's the part I love the most about it."

Markella Kavenagh (Nori) and Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Míriel) talk The Rings of Power season 2 (and beyond)

WiC: Markella, he season ends with Nori having to lead a new group of harfoots on a pilgrimage to heaven knows where. Now that she's in a position of leadership, do you think that's something she's nervous about, or after everything she's been through, is she ready for this kind of role?

Markella: "I think she's built up to this moment where she's able to kind of take the reins a little bit more on what her future holds, in the sense that she has always wanted to go out on her own and she's always wanted to explore the unknown and this is a really amazing opportunity to do so with the support and the validation of acknowledging that her instincts were correct and that there is more out there and that there is something that can potentially help her in the harfoots find a home at some point in the future. So I really do think that it's the right time for her to do that, and to honor what she's always been searching for and what she's always thought was impossible."

WiC: Cynthia, Míriel's story ended on a bit of a more of a downbeat note. So you're in chains, you're basically a prisoner, Elendil's going to the other side of the island. What's Míriel's state of mind right now? Does she think that she can exert some influence even in her position, maybe on Pharazôn and on her followers, or is she about to despair? What's going through her head at what seems like another low ebb? There were a couple of low ebbs for Míriel during this season.

Cynthia Addai-Robinson: "There have, but I'll say this: she's thinking. I mean, I don't think that she's sort of pitying and sort of just succumbing to despair. I think that she is thinking, and I think it's gonna be a fight from within. She's a smart woman, and she knows Pharazôn and she understands human nature. And so I believe that there would be a sense of strategy even around her being in chains and captured on sort of trumped up treasonous charges.

"And I was thinking about it because we don't necessarily see it as much, but there presumably are people out there who believe that Míriel is the true leader. They witnessed the trial by the sea, they adhere to the same beliefs that she stands by...You know, she's not alone in her fight and her belief. So I think with that understanding and knowledge, it's really about strategy and timing, in terms of what I think would potentially lie ahead. But you know, despair...I think she despairs for New Manor. I don't think she despairs for herself, but I think anything that she would be feeling along those lines would be about her people and their future."

Director Charlotte Brändström and cinematographer Alex Desinhof talk creating The Rings of Power

WiC: You guys worked together in season 1 on two of the bigger episodes, "The Eye" and "Udûn." Then you worked together on the two finale episodes of season 2. How did that partnership evolve? Did you guys come in knowing each other haven't already worked together? Were you paired up and just hit it off, or something else?

Charlotte Brändström: "When you work together and you get along, you get along because you see things the same way. You're in the same wavelength, you like the same thing, you get the same sense for the rhythm, for the performances, for the lighting, for the look, you have the same taste. So that makes it extremely pleasant to work that way. You don't have to fight that with each other, and I take a lot of pleasure to work with Alex because he doesn't care only about his lighting, which is gorgeous, but he also pays attention to a lot of small things. So he does look at the costumes, he does look at the makeup, he looks at the performances. He just wants it to be good.

"We just counted and we have shot 238 days between season 1 and season 2 together. So we have spent a lot of time together. So we become friends too now. You get into shortcuts, you hardly need to talk to each other. I know what he likes. He knows what I want when we get there in the morning. And we have our method to work through the day and to prepare the day. And it's also great to have somebody next to you that you trust entirely because it's a tough job. You're out there all day long, and you're fighting a lot of things and a lot of elements. I mean, nothing's easy ever. So to have people around you that are fighting with you in the same direction makes a huge difference."

WiC: Did you know each other going in or did you meet and work together the first time on The Rings of Power?

Alex Desinhof: "Yeah, we met on a Zoom call in. We were both in quarantine in New Zealand. So we had not met before that. And, you know, it is always kind of a nervous thing when you're going into a new project, especially something like this — I know when I signed on, it was the biggest project you've ever seen in your life. We're gonna fly you to New Zealand and here's the director: go. Fortunately, I think there was an immediate connection kind of understanding. I think the biggest thing, like what Charlotte said, is trust, like she trusts me, which allows me to feel confident to do my best work and take risks and then vice versa. Charlotte is the hardest working person in the room always, and she's always thinking beyond what's on the page. We've gone through all sorts of stuff together. I mean, heaven and hell we've gone through, and it's something I'm really proud of."

WiC: In season 1, you two did the Big Battle of the Southlands and now you're doing the Siege of Eregion. Are you guys seeking out the big action spectaculars to work on or are they being assigned to you? Are you just known as the action people and that's what you get?

Charlotte Brändström: "So I think in the first season, we were lucky to get the right episodes. We actually got episodes that we were lucky enough to get to create our own look to, because it was after the explosion on Mount Doom. And we could create that very interesting and strange orange light and covered ashes. And then when we came into the second season, I think they purposely put us on the big battle episodes, because I liked what we did in season 1 and that's why we're back."

WiC: Do either of you wish you had a slower episode? These big ones have to be the most work.

Alex Desinhof: "I like the challenge. You want to own it. I think we're both driven by a story. The great thing about this show is that there's so much going on. We did enormous amounts of work on the battle, I mean, weeks and weeks and weeks of shooting. But we also had an enormous amount of work just in dramatic scenes actors. And so I think that there's a nice balance. One of the most fun things about this show is that we shoot on the side of a volcano in the desert in the Canary islands one week and the next week we're shooting in a forge making rings. And the next week after that we're in the caves of Khazad-dûm and then we're out on a battlefield. And so we have almost five different kinds of filmmaking all in one, and it's exciting and it's fun."

Thanks to everyone for talking to us! You can watch both seasons of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power now on Amazon Prime Video. A third season, if we get one, likely won't be out until 2026.

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