The first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ended with the mega reveal that handsome loner Halbrand is really Sauron — and according to star Cynthia Addai-Robinson, things will only get darker in season 2.
“Season 2 definitely is very Sauron-focused, but you’re going to really get … almost like an origin story,” Addai-Robinson, 39, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of The Rings of Power’s season 2 premiere. “[It’s] going to be going a little bit more in depth into his journey and why he is the way he is and what his endgame is.”
Though she’s in the show herself, Addai-Robinson — who plays Númenórean queen Míriel in the Prime Video series — is still excited to see the new episodes, in part because the world of the series is so sprawling.
“I don’t necessarily see all of the scenes in different parts of the world, so I’m actually looking forward to seeing his scenes,” the actress explained. “I haven’t seen a lot of the stuff that he worked on in season 2, so I’m very excited.”
Addai-Robinson went on to note that Charlie Vickers, who plays Halbrand/Sauron, is in real life completely unlike his notoriously evil character.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Queen Regent Míriel. Ben Rothstein/Prime Video
“When you hear the name Sauron, when you’re familiar with it, it carries weight outside of even our story,” she said. “People use that whether you want to say a metaphor, or just a name for evil incarnate. [He’s] played by one of the nicest [people]. Charlie Vickers? Not evil. We love you!”
Vickers, 31, isn’t the only costar Addai-Robinson hasn’t seen much of, given The Rings of Power’s numerous locations. After spending time off camera with Sophia Nomvete earlier this year, Addai-Robinson is pushing for their characters to interact on screen. (Nomvete, 34, stars as the dwarf princess Disa, whose scenes have so far been limited to Khazad-dûm.)
“I just got back from New Orleans doing Essence Fest, and myself and my lovely, lovely castmate Sophia Nomvete … we were saying they need to put us together,” Addai-Robinson recalled. “Can we figure out a way to get our worlds to somehow intersect? And I think that’s the lovely thing. We’re all a group that has had this insane experience in making this show.”
Charlie Vickers as Sauron and Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor. Ben Rothstein/Prime Video
But will the cast be getting matching tattoos, as the stars of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy famously did?
“No tattoos that I know of, but I won’t speak for anyone else!” said Addai-Robinson, who also pointed out that Jackson’s core cast wasn’t quite as large. “Trying to get 20-something people to all agree on a tattoo? … A tattoo can be a sort of external way of commemorating something, but your memories of an experience and even just the pictures that I have, some stuff is on social media, and some stuff is just for me where it’s like, ‘I’ll always remember this time fondly.’ So we will come up with [something to commemorate it].”
Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Prime Video Thursday, August 29.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
