The Rings Of Power Season 2: Morfydd Clark And Charlie Vickers On Returning To Middle-Earth

We bring together the Dark Lord and the Lady of the Light – aka. Charlie Vickers and Morfydd Clark – to talk stunts, orcs and LEGO towers.

Neither Morfydd Clark nor Charlie Vickers knew precisely what they were getting into when they signed up for The Rings Of Power.

Of course, they understood it would be a huge production, telling a sprawling story set in the Second Age of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Likely culturally prominent, career-changing stuff, whether compared with Clark’s impressive work in indies like Saint Maud and The Personal History Of David Copperfield, or Vickers’ supporting roles in TV show Medici and Aussie comedy Palm Beach. But, right at the outset, neither was aware they were playing the iconic Galadriel and Sauron. The true identity of Vickers’ character, Halbrand, wasn’t revealed to the Melbourne-born actor until part-way through shooting the first season, while Clark didn’t even know she was auditioning for The Lord Of The Rings until another actor told her in the waiting area (she then ran to the toilet to compose herself ).

But being thrust into great Tolkienian roles isn’t the only thing that connects them. They spent most of Season 1 working side-by-side, until Galadriel finally rumbled Sauron in the final episode, and the characters acrimoniously went their separate ways. And it’s clear, when Empire brings them back together one spring afternoon, that after 16 episodes and counting they still share a giddy, pinch-yourself thrill at getting to make history in Middle-earth.

What was your first-ever scene together in Season 1? Was it by any chance in water, on that raft where Galadriel and Halbrand first meet?

Charlie Vickers: Yeah. We were in that water for two months, it felt like.

Morfydd Clark: We had a lot of bonding time just sitting on this raft together, because it took so much time for them to take us off it in-between scenes.

Vickers: We were away from the pontoon where all the cameras and all the crew were standing. Just out in the middle of the water tank...

How did you pass the time? Word games? Laminated crosswords?

Vickers: We were forced to get to know each other really well. Because we had no choice.

Clark: Yeah. But we also had so much stunt- training before we started shooting, which I think is a really good way to get to know your fellow cast, because you look very stupid in front of each other, not being very good at it at the beginning. And you get to really cheer each other on. I remember the first time someone managed to do a forward roll correctly, it was like, “Yes!”

Did you both go back into stunt-training for Season 2?

Clark: We did. (To Vickers) Yours was quite interesting, wasn’t it, because you’ve got a different style of fighting?

Vickers: Well, I don’t actually do that much fighting in the second season — ah, apart from... There is one very exciting bit, which I won’t say. So, yeah, we did a little bit. But filming the second season was a very different experience, because we weren’t all away from home on an island. The majority of us were going home each night. So it’s not like we were in a stunt gym working for hours like we did in New Zealand, where we needed something to do when we weren’t filming. The training was very scene- specific this season.

Which Elvish combat skill would you say you’re most accomplished at, Morfydd?

Clark: I like the swordplay stuff, but I did archery this year and I really enjoyed it.

Vickers: You’re particularly good at archery.

Clark: Apparently I was best in the whole class, which was a big surprise, as I can’t throw a ball. So for anyone out there who thinks they’d be rubbish at archery because they’ve never scored in netball, don’t worry: it’s a different thing.

Vickers: You sent me a photo and it showed all the arrows in the bull’s eye. Did you set that up?

Clark: No! And also the other holes around it are not mine. They were someone else’s. I’m serious! So that was really fun. It’s also just amazing holding a bow; they’re so beautiful. The guy who taught us how to... How to... (grasps for the right verb) arch?... How to do it, he also made all the bows.

Vickers: (Laughs) That’s quite a big gap in your knowledge there, the word “arch”. For a master archer, I’m not too sure about that.

"I enjoyed the second season a lot more as a performer, because I felt I had a level of familiarity with what I was doing and the world I was stepping into." – Charlie Vickers

How would you each say your previous experience prepared you for The Rings Of Power?

Clark: I think we were quite prepared just by being massive nerds who’d watched the films loads of times, and all the behind-the-scenes [footage]. So I think we were more aware of what we were going into. Whereas there were some members of the cast who the first time they stood on set were like, “Oh my God!” because they hadn’t been as obsessive as we were. I also found it useful having some kind
of Shakespeare background, because this material is elevated in a similar way.

Vickers: In terms of the content of what we were doing, I felt prepared. But when it began I certainly wasn’t prepared for the scale of what we were going to do. I don’t think there were many things that could have prepared me for what was coming in that first season. We did this thing the other day where we had to watch one of our opening scenes back — us on the raft — and in my mind I just looked terrified. And that was a huge difference between the second season and the first season for me; I enjoyed the second season a lot more as a performer, because I felt I had a level of familiarity with what I was doing and the world I was stepping into.

When you say you were big nerds, are you just talking about the Peter Jackson movies, or were you voracious devourers of Tolkien’s appendices, and so forth?

Clark: I was not a devourer of the appendices. My parents liked The Lord Of The Rings, and so did my close group of friends, so I assumed everyone was obsessed with it, and would be one of those people who’d say, “What? You haven’t read it?” So I did feel there’d been a lot of life-training for this, and it was really fun to get deeper into it, because Tolkien is so fascinating.

Vickers: I’d never read the books before starting on this, but I became obsessed with them when I knew I was going to actually become a part of this world. I became one of the appendices guys, and read The Silmarillion as well.

Clark: (To Vickers) You have incredible knowledge.

Vickers: Yeah, but between seasons it just flies out of my head, and I have to remind myself of it. I also played the PlayStation games. That was my extracurricular Lord Of The Rings thing.

"The Orcs are some of the nicest, most patient people ever, because not everyone has the strength to get into those costumes." – Morfydd Clark

There are some new faces in this season, including Ciarán Hinds and Rory Kinnear [as Tom Bombadil]. How did it feel to have them come join in the fun?

Clark: It’s so cool to be working with those people. They are both two of my favourites. Probably Ciarán Hinds extra favourite because of his Captain Wentworth in Persuasion.

Vickers: I was gassed when I found out they were involved. It’s always a real nice feeling knowing that actors like that would want to be a part of this world.

Clark: It’s just lovely being in something that people are so excited about. I have a few friends that ended up being Orcs in this, and they came off set saying, “That was the best day of my life.”

So you’re friends with Orcs, is that what you’re saying, Morfydd?

Clark: (Laughs) Yeah, the Orcs are some of the nicest, most patient people ever, because not everyone has the strength to get into those costumes. Probably the calmest person on set will be an Orc.

Have either of you ever been tempted to go completely under the prosthetics and do****a secret guest appearance as a background Orc in a scene?

Vickers: I don’t think I could do it. I didn’t have any prosthetics in the first season, so getting the Elf ears [as Annatar] was a whole new world for me. Coming in, like, three hours early to get the make-up on, it changes the game. And the Orcs, I think, have to come in seven hours early.

Clark: Having prosthetics on is just getting hairdryers in your face. So it’s not a lovely, relaxing experience. Those Orcs would be hair-dried for hours. I don’t know how they do it.

Vickers: And because we filmed for so long, we pretty much got all four seasons of the year. So in summer, Rob [Strange], who plays quite a few Orcs, would take off one of his Orc gloves and you would see a stream of water pouring out from his arm, which was sweat, basically. It just pools in there.

Since you started working on this show, Morfydd, have you met Cate Blanchett at all, and shared Lady of Lothlórien notes?

Clark: No. To be honest, the thought terrifies me because I just know I’ll do something so awkward and weird. She is mythical to me in the way Galadriel is. I mean, it’s just absolutely bizarre to me to share a character with someone of that calibre. It still blows my mind. If I ever meet her, I’ll probably just disgrace myself.

How about you, Charlie? Have you encountered Sala Baker, who was the armoured Sauron in The Fellowship Of The Ring’s prologue?

Vickers: I’ve never met Sala. But I know lots of people that work with him in New Zealand. A lot of our crew there know him. I’ve never met anyone that’s played Sauron. But I hope to.

Have you seen there’s now a Lego Barad-dûr, complete with Sauron’s flaming eye? Are you planning to pick that up?

Vickers: I haven’t got it yet. My son’s too little for Lego, but there will come a time...

Clark: Just buy it for yourself, Charlie!

Surely you could just walk into a Lego Store and tell them who you are!

Vickers: Yeah (adopts gruff Dark Lord-ish voice): “Give it to me!” Just take it and walk out. (Laughs)

Clark: That’s what you can be doing in-between takes. Just building Barad-dûr...

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 2 is on Prime Video from 29 August. Photography by Zoe McConnell.