#trop interviews

[emarasmoak]

Charlie Vickers teases what to expect from Sauron in ‘The Rings Of Power’ season two. The breakout actor playing Tolkien's Dark Lord speaks out

Some pretty awesome hints on what is to come in season 2 and Charlie's hopes for his character.

Just two months ago, Charlie Vickers was a complete unknown – cast as a brand-new character in TV’s most expensive show ever, The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. Since then, and thanks to playing Middle-earth’s most mysterious character yet, he’s shot to stardom, jumped onto magazine covers and grabbed the attention of all the right people. You might call him 2022’s breakout star to rule them all.

In The Rings Of Power, he plays Halbrand – a dashing young man with a murky past. It felt like he was one of the show’s main heroes. But as the series progressed, a shadow lengthened about him and he started acting suspiciously. The finale revealed that Halbrand is actually the dark lord Sauron in disguise.

With fans already looking towards season two (filming of which recently got underway), we met up with Vickers to find out about what’s still to come.

Hey Charlie, it’s been a pretty big week for you!

“Yeah it has been! I did some interviews this morning and then I went to the gym, went to a cafe, and did a bit of work on scenes I’m filming next week for the second season.”

Now everyone knows you’re Sauron, do you get strangers coming up to you?

“Yeah, they shout kill him! [laughs] No, that hasn’t happened yet but anyone that has said something has always been very nice.”

When did you find out you were Sauron?

“It was half-way through shooting. They took me onto the set in the Northern Waste which Galadriel discovers in the first episode. There are orcs stuck in walls. It’s nasty. They took me in there and they didn’t hail me or anything, they just said: ‘This is your kingdom, this is where you’ve been hanging out – you’re Sauron’. And I was like ‘holy shit!’”

Had you had an inkling?

“Morfydd [Clark, who plays Galadriel] and I were both theorising from the start. We chemistry tested together a couple of times and we were like ‘there’s something going on here’. I auditioned playing Satan from Paradise Lost and Richard III!”

Looking back on season one it’s clear Adar, played by Joseph Mawle, nearly recognises Halbrand as Sauron…

“Yeah, Joseph and I worked really hard in creating that story and it’s something we see more of in the second season. We see Adar and Sauron’s time and how they first connected. Adar’s going to have to do some saying sorry at some point though [for what he did in season one].”

And what about the connection between Sauron and the Stranger, played by Daniel Weyman?

“I’m not sure that Sauron knows that an Istar [the Stranger] has been sent from Valinor. We know [from Tolkien’s writings] that they were sent in the Second Age [when The Rings Of Power is set]. The Blue Wizards were sent and for the record I’m not sure if the Stranger is Gandalf. I know everyone thinks it is, but I genuinely don’t know. Of course he has some lines which mirror what Gandalf says [in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy] but I genuinely don’t know. I don’t think Sauron’s aware of that yet. He may have felt some disturbance when [the Stranger] crash-landed [in episode one]. He may have felt something because of course The Stranger is a Maia too. I think he will be a very troublesome foe in the future because he’s the closest thing to Sauron in Middle-earth in terms of power. I hope there’s some kind of dynamic to come there.”

What else can you tell us about season two – what can we expect from Sauron?

“All I can say is we’re getting into the meat of it now. The world has been established in season one and now we can get into the lore. I’m talking about the stuff at the heart of The Rings Of Power: the Akalabeth [the downfall of the kingdom of Numenor]. Sauron is out there now and there’s no longer any questions or theories about who he is – which is a shame for some I guess. We’re gonna be with him while he’s doing shit, while he’s out there manipulating people and taking on the elves.”

Eventually, he’s going to have to transform into the Sauron we know – would you be willing to get in the suit yourself?

“I have thought about that. When we get to the fifth season, am I going to have to look for another job? It’s one of those things. What did they do in The Mandalorian [when Pedro Pascal took off the helmet]?”

I guess it’s more like Obi Wan Kenobi, when Hayden Christensen suited up for Darth Vader after playing Anakin Skywalker…

“I would love to do that. I would love to do some acting through a suit, even if it’s just with prosthetics and not actually Sauron’s famous big suit [from the films]. There’s so many cool things that our Sauron could be at that stage. I’ve seen interpretations of him when he’s been deformed and artist drawings when he could no longer take his fair form [as Halbrand]. I loved it. So fingers crossed I can eke more time out on the show!”

Tell us about the promised two-episode battle we’re getting next season…

“I haven’t read that yet. I think it comes towards the end of the season. We’ve only got the first three scripts, three episodes. But [showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay] told me about it and it’s super exciting. The best thing is it’s in the lore. If you go to the appendices, you’ll see what’s about to happen. I think it’s going to be pretty epic.”

[martanis]

#try not to say "mind palace" challenge

[olessan]

Elendil makes this genre of face whenever he's mildly perturbed. Peeved. Perplexed. His flabbers gasted

[mordorlady]

"I'm really excited for next season, is you see him manipulating, you see him doing things in this form of a beautiful man."

Charlie Vickers

[spiderliliez]

Galadriel returns, her spirit aflame, prepared for the fray. ✨ THE RINGS OF POWER: S2 (2024)

[+] MORFYDD CLARK [GIF Collection] 🌷 [+] ..more on Galadriel ✨ [+] “The Making of the Rings of Power” 🎬

[luzriels]

J.D. Payne: "His hopes for what would happen come crashing into the reality of what has happened, and you’re watching the innocence and optimism of Elrond in Season 1 give way to the world-weary jadedness that we see of the Elrond in the Third Age. It’s pretty breathtaking." ROBERT ARAMAYO as ELROND in The Rings of Power 📰 TV INSIDER ↵

[fukutomichi]

[caput-medusae]

one of the most hilarious social media tumblr v reddit culture shock things was redditors complaining that the jack lowden sauron from the beginning of ep 2x1 wasn’t armored up or eleven feet tall, and the tumblr girlies delightedly freaking out because ginger twink mairon was real

[elladanns]

this is so cute i'm gonna cry now

[shady-swan-jones]

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Explained by the Cast

[...] how she ended up in the company of the mysterious Southlander Halbrand (played by Charlie Vickers).

They may have started off as reluctant allies, but Episode 6 made it clear that the pair shares a special bond. During the hour, Halbrand revealed that he felt free fighting alongside Galadriel, and she confirmed that she felt it, too. If you’re thinking the vibes are strong between these two, you’re not just seeing things.

“With Galadriel, the problem is she feels more than just vibes. She feels massive, monumental galaxy shifts whenever she feels anything,” Clark shares. “Somehow, what she sees as a hopeless mortal that she found stranded at sea has forever changed her. It was really fun exploring how vulnerable this mythical being Galadriel could be. We spoke a lot about how we’d stage it, and both of us felt that looking at each other would even be just too intense. It’s, like, too much — whatever they’re feeling is too much.”

[emarasmoak]

Rollacoaster catches up with face of Halbrand and The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, Charlie Vickers

Shedding the mystery of his character, The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power's Charlie Vickers talks on playing Halbrand, the pressures of his craft and what can we expect next from the Middle Earth star.

Nice interview with some great photos 🔥😍

This year’s hotly-anticipated return to Middle Earth saw a staggering quarter of a million viewers settle in for an Orc-infested ride into all things mythical, with 30-year-old actor, Charlie Vickers, leading the foray. Introducing Hollywood’s newest name, assuming the role of Halbrand, the lost king of the fictional Southlands.

After several auditions – seven, to be exact – and months perfecting the Middle Earth common tongue, the Australian actor wasted no time in syphoning the armour of the cunning character. Vickers might be worlds apart from Halbrand’s machiavellian self (spoiler alert: later to be revealed as Sauron), it’s not Vickers’ first rodeo fabricated a character far from his day-to-day life, playing Guglielmo Pazzi in Medici: Masters of Florence as well as Dan in Palm Beach. Sizing up a plentiful roster, the rising star reflects on the pressure that came with signing onto the major movie franchise and setting his heights high for what comes next.

CATY PENZA: Before we start talking about all things Lord of the Rings, can you tell us a little bit about how you got into acting? What has your journey been like?

CHARLIE VICKERS: I never really considered acting as a possibility at first because I didn’t believe it would be a successful career for me. It wasn't until a couple of years into me studying at university that I realised maybe I could have a go at acting because I didn’t feel any passion towards what I was doing. So I flew to Sydney and auditioned for a drama school and got selected. That’s kind of where everything started unfolding.

CP: Growing up, were there any actors you looked up to?

CV: I was in Melbourne and I went to see a production of Richard III and the leading actor was Ewen Leslie. I definitely look up to him, even though I’ve never actually met him, but his performance was a real catalyst for my career. I’d love to tell him that one day.

CP: Hopefully he reads this interview and finds out!

CV: Yes! That would be incredible.

CP: You play Halbrand in The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, how did you come about getting cast for the role?

CV: It was a long audition process for me. I auditioned maybe six or seven times over a period of six months. I originally auditioned for another character three times, and then got moved to audition for Halbrand. It was a long process, I even flew to Spain to test shoot with J.A. Bayona, who directs the first two episodes. It was a pretty amazing day and it was the last piece of the puzzle to getting the role.

CP: What was it like switching into the Halbrand persona? Did you have to do or think about anything in particular?

CV: I spent a lot of time researching source material. Because he’s an original character, I wanted Halbrand to fit into that world and make sure he had all the talking elements. Halbrand is also very different to me, so I had to tap into things that I wasn’t necessarily used to tapping into. It was so interesting watching the show and seeing that difference.

CP: What was your reaction like when you saw the show for the first time?

CV: It was pretty amazing. We saw it for the first time as a cast in Los Angeles, with a screening of the first three episodes. It was so overwhelming and incredible to see the scope of the show and all my friends performing.

CP: Given The Lord Of The Rings’ hugely loyal fandom, were you at any point nervous about taking on a role in this spinoff show?

CV: Obviously there is a huge amount of pressure and expectations that come with being a part of a world that is so important to so many people, but that’s almost a good thing. Signing onto the show though, there was no hesitation. I didn’t know the full ins and outs of what I was signing onto, but there was still no doubt I wanted to be a part of it.

CP: And how has your life changed since the show’s release?

CV: I don’t go out into very busy settings that much, but, the few times I have been, I have been recognised and everyone has been very kind so I guess in that sense it has changed. But besides that, I tend to lead a quiet life so it hasn’t changed that much.

CP: Speaking of which, what does an average day in the life of Charlie Vickers look like?

CV: My work days and my days off are very different. On a work day, I’ll be picked up very early in the morning and I’ll film all day. But on a day off, I need sleep. Minimum nine hours. I do some exercise when I get up, have lunch and then just sit at my laptop and do some work. I also spend some time with friends and family and if I’m by the coast I’ll also go for a surf, but if I’m in London then I just try and do something fun for the day.

CP: You definitely cannot surf in London.

CV: There is a wave pool I think! But right now it’s limited, yeah.

CP: Where do you envision yourself as an actor in 10 years time?

CV: Working on a project of this magnitude has been amazing, but it’s also given me the desire to work on things completely different in the future. Smaller projects, like independent films or mini-series. I always look for new adventures in my work and I’m open to them in whatever form they may come.

CP: Finally, is anything else currently in the works?

CV: I filmed a mini-series in Australia based on the novel by Holly Ringland titled The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. It’s a story about female resilience and generational trauma. I play the father. It’s a spectacular story and it will hopefully come out next year.

[martanis]

“It would be like if you had the most intense type of synesthesia, and then you met someone else that had the same type of it, but then you find out they’re the worst person in the world. But you can’t undo that feeling of what it was to be understood and connected in that way.” — Morfydd Clark for 📰 TV INSIDER ↵

[olessan]

Iarwain

[drrav3nb]

ELENDIL & TAR-MIRIEL The Rings of Power Season 2 | TV Spot

[spiderliliez]

One of her takeaways from Tolkien’s stories Interview by The Christian Post

[+] MORFYDD CLARK [GIF Collection] 🌺 [+] ..more on Galadriel ✨ [+] “The Making of The Rings of Power” 🎬

[neyafromfrance95]

TROP really said "what if we made a relationship that's simply epic? what if it was a story carefully crafted from a multiple beautifully entwined patterns, jeweled with intentional details? what if we gave the heroine x villain soulmateism enjoyers everything they have ever wanted? what if we actually did all that?"