Rings of Power‘s Cast and Crew Break Down Sauron’s Big Transformation

Rings of Power‘s return has enactment the spotlight of its play 2 communicative firmly connected Sauron, particularly present that he’s made himself known to Middle-earth aft slumming it arsenic Halbrand in play one. But successful doing so, it gave the amusement a accidental to amusement america conscionable what it really means for the Dark Lord to alteration himself into caller form… successful ways expected and unexpected.

Rings of Power play 2 opens with a spot of a sideways step. Or rather, a measurement back, each the mode to the climax of the First Age and Morgoth’s defeat, arsenic we witnesser Adar and Sauron effort to rally the remnants of Morgoth’s acheronian forces to judge a caller leader. Except, Sauron is not played successful this flashback by Charlie Vickers, but Jack Lowden… due to the fact that we person to ticker him beryllium turned connected by the orcs, slaughtered, and acquisition a horrifying, viscous translation arsenic helium seeks caller soma successful bid to survive.

“We felt it would assistance you recognize however helium sees himself and what he’s endured, and besides possibly marque you look astatine play 1 done a antithetic prism and spot it done his eyes,” showrunner Patrick McKay told io9 astatine a caller property junket, speaking astir the determination to unfastened play 2 with the First Age. “Sort of spot what helium was aft successful a caller way. It felt similar a large spot to start.”

Part of that, arsenic we mentioned, was getting to glimpse a vile signifier we’ve ne'er seen Sauron successful before: aft he’s attacked by Adar and the orcs, Sauron’s assemblage transforms into a goopy, stringy wide of achromatic flesh, devouring thing and everything it tin get its tendrils connected arsenic it climbs its mode retired from the darkest depths and backmost into Middle-earth, wherever a feast connected a passing quality allows him to yet alteration into the antheral we knew arsenic Halbrand.

“The magnitude of clip and amusive we had designing the puddle creature, arsenic we called his astir evil, axenic signifier that helium has to crawl backmost from execution and betrayal in… we looked astatine weird viruses and bacteria and like… things you can’t kill,” McKay continued. “Rotting meat, Francis Bacon paintings. It was 1 of the existent joys of the season.”

Although Vickers did not really play the amorphous achromatic glob that helium came from, opening the play with Sauron’s idiosyncratic past was a immense boon for the actor. “Revisiting Halbrand astatine the beginning, close from the opening of the [First] Age, and seeing his travel successful the prologue, that was truly rewarding. Because to beryllium honest, it’s 1 of the things astir moving successful thing similar this… it answered a batch of questions for me.” Vickers reflected connected the opening. “And it was precise rewarding to truly spell done that process and get that retired of my strategy and past beryllium like, ‘Now we’re doing it, present we’re doing Annatar.’ And we were ace fortunate that that was each chronological, and each our scenes [between Vickers and Charles Edwards arsenic Celebrimbor] were chronological arsenic well.”

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But arsenic Vickers notes, the black-goop-into-Halbrand glow-up is not the lone translation of Sauron’s we witnesser successful the opening episodes of the season. After managing to dilatory worm his mode backmost into Eregion and Celebrimbor’s orbit, contempt Galadriel’s orders for nary Elf to ever dainty with “Halbrand” again, Sauron makes his large play and reveals to the Elven forge smith he’s not who helium says helium is. In a moment, Halbrand’s affable quality quality twists, and helium becomes distant and knowing… earlier stepping into the fires of Celebrimbor’s forges and emerging reborn arsenic Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, a fair, Elven signifier that leaves Celebrimbor successful awe.

“It was each connected 1 day,” Vickers said of shooting Annatar’s revelation scene. “We had the Halbrand spot [of the scene], and past I went and got changed, and past did the Forge bit. It was precise chill to acquisition that. But I retrieve the apical of the scene, that truly felt special, similar a gathering again of these 2 characters and that question—’did the rings, did they work?’—felt precise truthful.”

Edwards, playing the increasingly doomed role of Celebrimbor, had an awe successful the infinitesimal akin to the Elf craftsman arsenic well. “It was an astonishing day, shooting that forge stuff… the occurrence and everything. You work it connected the page, but you don’t cognize however it’s going to beryllium shot, you know? They had this huge camera that ran on the ceiling of the full acceptable connected a line, but the grade of it, the standard of it, was extraordinary.” ”

He continued. “I retrieve watching from broadside stage, we were watching Charles bash the sequence—because it’s each 1 take, the occurrence comes on, you sound this happening over—and it’s amazing. All of that coming together, the level of craftmanship,” Vickers added. “I deliberation I asked Patrick [McKay] astatine the extremity of the day, I was similar ‘So, what bash you think?’, and helium was conscionable similar ‘It’s a miracle.’ I deliberation it’s a occurrence that it each worked, and the Annatar happening worked, and everyone was truly happy.”

Well, everyone but the denziens of Middle-earth, it seems, due to the fact that Sauron’s Annatar happening moving means that dire times are lone going to get direr. Rings of Power play 2 is present streaming connected Prime Video.

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