Exclusive: The Rings of Power stars tease “supercharged” Númenor storyline in season 2

Exclusive: The Rings of Power stars tease "supercharged" Númenor storyline in season 2

As a dedicated fan of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, I eagerly anticipate the second season, especially with the return of Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Queen Regent Míriel. In our conversation at San Diego Comic-Con, she shared the challenges she faced in portraying a blind Míriel, and I must say, her performance was nothing short of remarkable. Her ability to use heightened senses to navigate her surroundings is truly inspiring and makes me wonder if I’ve been underutilizing my own senses!

The upcoming second season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is nearly here, and there are numerous characters we need to reacquaint ourselves with. Sauron returns with a fresh scheme, the enigmatic character known as The Stranger is venturing eastward, while Queen Regent Míriel (played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson) faces immense challenges ruling the island nation of Númenor, having lost her sight during a conflict in Middle-earth.

We got to talk to Cynthia Addai-Robinson at San Diego Comic-Con, who told us about the challenges ahead for Míriel. “[A]t the end of season one, once she’s blinded, she’s blindfolded for a period. And, and there, there was actually a brief moment where I had to really portray the blindness toward the end,” she said. “In season 2, it’s now fully the situation. And so it was making sure that it still felt like something that she was navigating, but it didn’t sort of weaken her or make her look as if she was sort of fumbling about; this is a world that she knows very well. She has to project strength…So that was a big challenge and very important to me. But I myself am curious to see where the blindness element goes beyond kind of what we’ve presented in season 2.”

When you don’t have one of your senses, the other senses automatically are heightened. So I felt a lot of times it was really about listening to my fellow actors, and feeling, you know, the, the energy shift in the room, we had some scenes in the court room and you could just feel the sort of the energy of the people. And so you would imagine in a real-world scenario that’s probably how you suss out and use your other senses to understand what’s going on around you.

According to Trystan Gravelle, who portrays Pharazôn, Addai-Robinson effortlessly handled blindness on set. He was particularly impressed by her ability to navigate without any signs of hesitation or uncertainty that often new actors experience in their early scenes. Gravelle admires Addai-Robinson’s professionalism and dedication to her craft, which made it easy for the cast to work together smoothly.

There’s a sea monster on Númenor and it’s a problem

In the trailer, it appears that character Míriel encounters a formidable external danger: a colossal sea beast. The specifics of how she ends up in this predicament remain unclear, but according to Addai-Robinson, “the water scenes” pose one of two major hurdles for her this season, alongside Míriel’s blindness. She suggested that this enigmatic scene revolves around Míriel overcoming a challenge and discovering her true self in the process.

I was under the water and it was scary and I’m still here, so I obviously survived it. But whenever I watch any movie or series and I see an actor underwater, now I really understand how hard that actually is to to achieve. And I’m very proud and have to give a nod to all of the water stunt team at Pinewood in London that basically creates that illusion and make sure we do it safely and all of that good stuff.

As a devoted fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, I can tell you that the enigmatic island of Númenor is brimming with a tumultuous future. Gravelle, in his cryptic manner, suggests that there are emerging fractures within Númenorean society. He hinted that this schism will result in two distinct responses to grief, and these perspectives on mourning will have far-reaching consequences for the island as a whole. I’m eager to see how this unfolds!

Exclusive: The Rings of Power stars tease "supercharged" Númenor storyline in season 2

The Rings of Power star on playing a queen of color

In conclusion, Addai-Robinson discussed the unique experience of being a person of color in a fantasy series typically dominated by white characters. The diverse cast of The Rings of Power has faced some regrettable and foreseeable racial backlash from certain fan groups. As we look forward to season 2, it’s hoped that such negative reactions will subside.

Addai-Robinson reflected, “What I adore about literature…it’s like a blank canvas in your mind. You can project yourself into it. No work has ever felt foreign to me because it mirrored my world. So, it feels natural that our global series reflects the diverse reality of today. If Middle-earth symbolizes Earth, then it makes sense that we should depict the 2020s world truthfully. As a child, I assumed characters looked like me or people in my community. It’s still surprising to me when I encounter different representations. This issue never troubled me much, and I’m glad we’re progressing now, moving forward rather than backward.”

In the upcoming week, you’ll have the chance to see the highly energized Númenor narrative as described by Addai-Robinson when The Rings of Power resumes for its second season on Amazon Prime Video, specifically on Thursday, August 28th.

2024-08-24 17:41