Charlie Vickers’ character’s secret identity was revealed at the end of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season one. It turns out Halbrand wasn’t the King of the Southlands and was only masquerading as an ally to Galadriel. Halbrand is Sauron, and in season two, we’ll see Vickers disguised as Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, to deceive the elves.
Teaming up with Charles Edwards for interviews at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, Vickers discussed his season two transformation. And Edwards talked about Sauron’s influence over Celebrimbor in the new season premiering on August 29, 2024.
Charles Edwards and Charlie Vickers Season 2 Interview
So, season two is the season of the villain.
Charlie Vickers: “Apparently. That’s what we keep getting told as well.”
How would you describe it?
Charlie Vickers: “It’s darker. It’s grittier, and I think that there’s a lot going on all the time. It’s like it snowballs constantly. It’s like it constantly is put on the accelerator.”
Does your character go through a physical transformation?
Charlie Vickers: “Yeah. There’s no two ways to say it. He’s changed. I won’t say when it happens, but when it does happen, you’re like, ‘Okay, yeah, he’s different.’ Yeah, and it is all…what I really learned throughout all the physical changes and the vocal changes it all has to connect to where I’ve started in the first season, right? They’re the same character; he just looks a bit different.”
The trailer reveals that we’re seeing a very vulnerable Celebrimbor in season two. Is that right?
Charles Edwards: “Well, he gets drawn into this very destructive pairing, and whilst it remains a power struggle between the two of them – because he wants what [Sauron] has, and likewise, so they’re co-dependent in that way – it goes to a place of desperation, as you will see towards, without spoiling, towards the end of the series. It goes to a very dark place, and what you see in the trailer is kind of the beginning of that realization.”
Charlie Vickers: “I mean, if you’re emotionally getting your heartstrings tugged by what you see in the trailer, it gets 10 times worse than that.”
Charles Edwards: “It does.”
The final episodes of season one felt like Sauron was trying to seduce Galadriel to the dark side. What do you think was the motivation behind that?
Charlie Vickers: “I think she brings something… He saw in her something that maybe he didn’t possess. Which is quite rare for Sauron, I think, because he’s a pretty – I’d say he’s quite a self-obsessed guy. I think he’s got everything covered. But I think he saw this connection to light in her. And I don’t think it was ever to the point where it was like, ‘We’re going to be king and queen.’ Although maybe he said that. He did say that, but it was never going to be like…saying it is one thing. I think in practical terms, he was in charge. And she was going to maybe offer some qualities to whatever this kingdom was going to be, that he could, yeah, use her.
It was all for his own personal gain, right? And if she joined him, I think his job would have been easier, because she brings with her all the elves. But she didn’t.”
But there’s no way you view him as a villain, is there?
Charlie Vickers: “I don’t think it’s helpful for me to. I mean, I know he is a villain, right? And Tolkien said unequivocally he’s a villain in his letters. He’s the epitome of evil in this show. But it’s not helpful for me to view him as a villain. I just have to find, like all actors do, to try and find something that he connects to and something that he seeks. And I think in this season, it is unifying and healing and bringing Middle-earth together as one. Hence, you know, help me make these rings and give them to everyone and it’s going to be great.”
He’s uniquely motivated.
Charlie Vickers: “Exactly.”
One of the things revealed during the Comic-Con panel was a segment about forging the rings. Your delivery of the dialogue was incredible.
Charles Edwards: “I mean, these things, as we’ve said, you know, you do these things, two years ago – I can’t remember when that was shot. You forget all about it. I never knew I was being filmed either when I was making my ring. I loved that. It was lovely to see it again. But yeah, the section of the Black Speech was amazing.”
Charlie Vickers: “Is that you saying…”
Charles Edwards: “…Three rings for the Elven Kings under the sky.”
Do you remember how it felt to say those lines?
Charles Edwards: “I knew I had to get it right in that moment. That’s why I learned it so thoroughly because I was in a very compromising position. And if I mucked up my dialogue at that point, they’d have to reset and reshoot. So, I learned it. But it’s a balance of, you know, you want to do it in the way that he would do it, but also it’s like a demonic possession kind of thing. It kind of vomits out. Which is kind of what the Black Speech is meant to be, isn’t it? Like a wretch, a guttural wretch.”
Did you enjoy the more restrained Halbrand in season one or embracing the more aggressive Sauron in season two?
Charlie Vickers: “I think it was two-fold. I loved doing the Halbrand thing, but it was kind of like a real first-time adventure for all of us, right? We were in, you know, it was a completely novel environment, a show of this scale. So, I think I went into season two feeling a lot more comfortable and it’s just like understanding what we were doing. And there was this element where I had been thinking about playing Annatar for ages. I was like, ‘If we do this, I know exactly what I want to do.’ So, it was really fun for me getting a chance to sort of put these ideas that had been in my mind for so long into practice. So, yeah, I loved it.”
MORE THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER SEASON 2 INTERVIEWS:
- Morfydd Clark and Benjamin Walker
- Charlie Vickers and Charles Edwards
- Daniel Weyman and Megan Richards
- Sam Hazeldine and Robert Strange
- Lloyd Owen and Ema Horvath
- Maxim Baldry and Sophia Nomvete
- Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Trystan Gravelle
- Ismael Cruz Cordova and Tyroe Muhafidin
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