'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 2 Interviews

Moviefone speaks with Charlie Vickers and Charles Edwards about 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 2. "It's a joy as an actor," Vickers said.

Premiering on Prime Video beginning August 29th is the second season of the popular series 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power', which is based on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.

The series stars Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Charlie Vickers as Sauron, Daniel Weyman as the Stranger, Markella Kavenaugh as Nori, Megan Richards as Poppy, Owain Arthur as Durin IV, Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor, Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad, and Ismael Cruz Cordova as Arondir.

Related Article: Prime Video's 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Cast Interviews

(L to R) Charles Edwards and Charlie Vicker star in Prime Video's 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' season 2.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Charlie Vickers and Charles Edwards about their work on 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' season 2, laying the groundwork for Sauron in season one and exploring the character in season two, Celebrimbor’s motivations, if he will be corrupted by the power of the rings, and what it means to them personally to be part of the show.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Vickers, Edwards, Daniel Weyman, Markella Kavenaugh, Megan Richards, Benjamin Walker, and Ismael Cruz Cordova.

Charlie Vickers as Sauron in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' season 2. Credit: Ben Rothstein / Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios.

Moviefone: To begin with, Charlie, can you talk about laying the groundwork for Sauron in season one and having the opportunity to explore the character in season two?

Charlie Vickers: I think the easiest way I can articulate it is in season one, the groundwork was all laid because we were kind of guessing where Sauron was. I was still playing ultimately the same character with all the same research, different on the outside, but in the perspective of the show, I was having Sauron moments when the camera was pointed at Galadriel. This season you shift perspective, and you get let into his private world. Obviously, there's a whole bunch of internal character development things that have happened by being with this character for such a long time, but now the perspective has shifted. We kind of get let in. The door is ajar for us as the audience.

MF: Since Sauron disguises himself as other people, has it felt like you were playing more than one character and how do you approach that?

CV: Yeah, it has been. I mean, ultimately Halbrand and Annatar are both Sauron, but the second season we changed a lot, not only just with the makeup team and the costume team, but I worked a lot with Leith McPherson, our dialect coach, on a new accent and dialect and with a movement coach as well to try and work out the way he moves. So, it has been a development of a completely different character on the outside but maintains a lot of the same internal motivation.

(L to R) Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor, Amelia Kenworhty as Mirdania in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' season 2. Credit: Ben Rothstein / Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios.

MF: Charles, can you talk about where we last saw Celebrimbor in season one and where we find him and what he’s dealing with in season two?

Charles Edwards: When we left him, he's created something which he hopes is going to be amazing at the end of season one. But we have no confirmation of that going into season two so he's still in that kind of inertia of waiting and not having any information about what's happened to that. So, he's built his fantastic new forge, which is an amazing place to work by the way. That set is extraordinary. But with no direction, he doesn't know which step to take next. But then someone shows up who's going to perhaps help him with that. We find him in kind of slightly adrift at the beginning of season two, but then he is seized by a new energy when he reconnects with Halbrand.

MF: Is he susceptible to the power of the rings and how will he avoid being corrupted?

CE: I think he certainly is. I think he's susceptible to all kinds of things. Sauron/Annatar, is very good at seeking out the kind of chinks in his armor. Yes, he's very susceptible to pride, to ambition, to flattery, and yes, to the rings.

'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' season 2. Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios.

MF: Finally, Charlie, what has it been like for you to be on a series as large in scope as this and really have an opportunity to explore the world J. R. R. Tolkien created?

CV: It's been incredible. I think there's two aspects. You have it as a human being, like as an actor. The first time I stepped onto the set it's scary and it's surprising how quickly you get used to that, and it sort of begins to feel like, certainly in the second season it felt, I was more comfortable with it. But it's a joy as an actor to be able to have such a rich world to not only play in, but to research out playing canon characters. There is just so much stuff to inspire us, whether it's Tolkien's books or it's all these amazing adaptations that range from movies to video games to cartoons.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

"Evil has had many names."

TV-142 SeasonsSeptember 1st, 2022

Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Online

What is the plot of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 2?

In Season Two of ‘The Rings of Power’, Sauron (Charlie Vickers) has returned. Cast out by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), without an army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-Earth to his sinister will. Building on Season One’s epic scope and ambition, the new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.