Charlie Vickers (center) as Halbrand/Sauron
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Such is the cautionary reminder fueling the all-encompassing darkness that hovers over JRR Tolkien’s Middle-earth in the series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” where Lord Sauron’s ever-expanding reach looms close at hand.
The acclaimed 10-part sophomore season of “The Rings of Power” (83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), which began streaming on Prime Video yesterday, hits the ground running after the pilot season saw Sauron aka Halbrand aka Annatar (Charlie Vickers, as charismatic as he is intense) descending upon the newly formed hellscape that was once known as Mordor.
But Sauron didn’t use to be the evil incarnate he has since transmogrified into. Before he pursued his need to be revered by elves, dwarves, Orcs and men as a god-like being, Sauron viewed things differently. He desired order above all things and was later willing to impose it by brute force. Sounds familiar?
We discussed Sauron’s “relatable moral dilemma” with Charlie Vickers and Charles Edwards (who plays Elven-smith Celebrimbor) when Inquirer Entertainment spoke to them in an exclusive interview in Singapore last Saturday.
Lord Sauron, after all, has been described as “the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen.” So when we described the character as “Jesus, if he were to go through a moral crisis,” both Charlie and Charles said, “Oooh!”
For Charlie, creating Sauron was a tough row to hoe because he only learned about Halbrand’s real identity in Episode 3 of the first season! Noting the complexity of bringing the megalomaniacal villain to sinister life, we asked the 31-year-old Central School of Speech and Drama-trained Australian just how daunting the task was. How did he channel all that darkness all at once?
He recalled, “It wasn’t daunting as much as it was a relief when I found out that I was actually playing Sauron. Because there were whispers, there were rumors amongst the cast that he lived somewhere in one of the original characters, and my role was put forward as a potential option. “So I was relieved when I was told that I was Sauron because it meant I could fully focus on what I was doing. But I don’t approach it in terms of thinking about his darkness. I’m more the sort of actor who tries to understand the role he plays in the story, so I have to focus on his intention to, in this case, ‘heal and save Middle-earth.’ And it’s only because of (he looks at Charles) Celebrimbor that I have to ‘get dark’ because, as you can see here, he doesn’t listen to me (laughs)!Beside Charlie, Charles quipped, “There he goes trying to justify his actions again, like Sauron (laughs).”
In the Elven capital of Lindon, however, the withering decline of High King Gil-galad’s (Benjamin Walker) forest home has become no laughing matter. The king has been encouraging half-Elven diplomat Elrond (Robert Aramayo) to reach a trade agreement with dwarf Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) for a steady supply of mithril.
Celebrimbor uses that same ore with supernatural qualities to forge the Rings of Power, which are warrior elf Galadriel’s (Morfydd Clark) best chance at defending the world against the deception and machinations of the man she initially thought was her ally!
Showrunner JD Payne (fifth from left) and director Charlotte Brandstrom (third from left) with the cast of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” Trystan Gravelle, Charles Edwards, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Megan Richards, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Tyroe Muhafidin and Ismael Cruz Cordova, in Singapore —PHOTOS COURTESY OF PRIME VIDEO
Elements of indecisiveness
But Celebrimbor isn’t just an insignificant locksmith. He is, in fact, the greatest Elvish craftsman since his grandfather Fëanor—which explains why he is as vain as he is ambitious.We asked Charles what it was about Celebrimbor’s complexity and idiosyncratic traits that resonated with him.
“I think there are elements of indecisiveness that I share with him,” explained the 54-year-old actor, previously known for his roles in “Downton Abbey” and “The Crown.” “I certainly share his passion for his craft. But I don’t share his passion for jewelry—so, as you can see, no rings for me (laughs)! And as him, I chose not to wear rings as well.”
“You could have had rings all over … like dirty rings,” ribbed Charlie.
“I could have done that, but I decided [that something like] that would interfere with Celebrimbor’s work,” he replied. “That would get in a way.”
Pressing on, Charlie asked, “You mean it wouldn’t fit in any gloves or anything (snickering)?” “Exactly! There’d be a lot of fiddling around,” Charles shrugged. “So, no, we decided against using rings. To get back to your question, Celebrimbor’s passion and indecisiveness are two characteristics that I share with him.”
While their roles require Charlie and Charles to create perceptible inner lives and believable characterizations for Sauron and Celebrimbor, they know only too well how important it is to stay true to what the show is all about, given the success that “The Rings of Power” enjoyed when its first season was released two years ago.
When we attended the show’s two-episode premiere at the Lido in Singapore last week, we were instantly reminded of the catchy fandom and the ensuing critical acclaim that often accompanied Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” movies, which began in 2001.
It is widely regarded as one of the greatest film series ever made, having won 17 Academy Awards out of 30 nominations, including a Best Picture win for 2003’s “The Return of the King.”
Charles Edwards (left) as Celebrimbor and Amelia Kenworthy as Mirdania
The biggest challenges
While not as “star-studded” as its big-screen iterations, Amazon’s spectacular TV series is inhabited by fine actors who help the show live up to its hype. It has reportedly an overall budget of $1 billion spread over 50 episodes in five seasons! On its first day of release, the pilot episode was seen by more than 25 million viewers, marking the biggest premiere in Prime Video history.
The series is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, some 4,000 years before the events in the blockbuster movies, set during the postapocalyptic Third Age.
Back to Charles and Charlie, we asked what the biggest challenges were for them in Season 2?
“You know, all the hurdles or challenges are meat and drink to us as actors,” Charles pointed out. “We relish them. The bigger the challenge, the more fun we’re going to have. And this storyline is full of those hurdles or challenges, whatever they are.
“It’s a very demanding story that we’re taking on. All kinds of things are asked of us in terms of the twists and turns of the plot, which get really juicy the more you go deeper into the season. So, as a whole, it was a great challenge and a great excitement to be the ones telling this story.”
Charlie agreed, “I think that, in a practical sense, we—but Charles particularly—had to go through a whole range [of challenges]. You need to play every note on the piano in this story—like, you have to go to these difficult places. And I had to push Celebrimbor to go to hysterical places and get really nasty. With a winking comment, Charlie said, “Actually, all I did was be nice to you, and you would be hysterical about it. He’d fly off the handle (laughs)!”
Charles answered, “OK, so I was just having a good time being unreasonable? (Turning to us) That is how he sees it (laughs).”
As we were wrapping up our chat, we told them how excited we were to see the rest of the episodes because it’s hard not to get swept off one’s feet by the series’ grand ambition and spectacle. The show just transports viewers to a strange and different world altogether.
“Oh, you’re the perfect person for this show! You’re gonna love it,” Charles told us.
We have a feeling he’s right.