Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2!
As alliances shift in Númenor, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 will see several families split apart between those loyal to the Valar and those who want change. The Isle of Men was introduced in season 1 of the Prime Video prequel to JRR Tolkien’s iconic novel as a largely peaceful area, although some tension was brewing between them and the elves as they sought to establish themselves as an independent power. Númenor serves as the home for many of Rings of powers human characters, including Queen Míriel, her cousin and advisor Pharazôn, brave sailor Elendil and his children, aspiring warrior Isildur and ambitious architect Eärien.
with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 Elendil and Eärien find themselves at odds with one another as they both believe Isildur is dead amid the sudden rise of Mordor in the Southlands. While the father continues to be a close advisor to Míriel after she is blinded in the Southlands exhibition, the daughter begins to put her support behind Pharazôn as he rises to power and overthrows his cousin. Although Isildur is alive and fighting to get back home, the rising tension in Númenor is building to his home descending further into chaos.
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The ensemble Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 cast sees the return of Ema Horvath as Eärien, Lloyd Owen as Elendil, Maxim Baldry as Isildur, Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Míriel, as well as Galadriel’s Morfydd Clark, Sauron’s Charlie Vickers, Robert Aramayo’s Elrond the Stranger Daniel Wyman, among many others. With a “certified fresh” 83% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, season 2 is keeping the Lord of the Rings Franchise alive and well with its emotional storytelling and massive world building.
With the season just over half way through, Screen Rant Interviewed Emma Horvath for The Lord of the Rings: The rings of power Season 2 saw Eärien begin to turn to Pharazôn over her father, working closely with Owen to explore their story off-screen, and the physical toll the season took on both her and her character.
get in the “Nitty-gritty“From Eärien’s Arc Was”Almost a relief“For Horvath
“I’m really excited”
Screen Rant: I just loved this show from the beginning and The rings of power Season 2 is really just raising the bar even higher. I’d love to hear what your first reaction was when you saw the scripts for season 2 and when you saw what Eärien’s arc would be this season.
Emma Horvath: I’m really excited. I was hired five years ago, I knew where the character was going, and it was almost a relief to finally get into the nitty-gritty of where she was headed. I probably overdid it. [Laughs] Yes, I was so excited. From the beginning I knew that the costumes would become more luxurious. It was very important to me that the person inside them dies.
But we had this beautiful moment—actually, well, not a beautiful moment—in the middle of shooting, hair and makeup found this wiry, one gray hair growing out of my head in the course of shooting and was like, “Can we pull it off? ” [Laughs] Yes. I was so excited, but it was a very grueling shoot. For that reason, I knew that making her actions this season believable would require just a fair amount of—how do I say this in an articulate way? I just knew it was going to be hard, and I was really excited to work with Lloyd on some of the scenes to make them feel believable that the family could be so torn apart.
Eärien’s Season 2 story provided some interesting parallels for Horvath
“It’s funny how a personal life sometimes coincides with work”
I’d love to hear you talk about wanting to make sure her actions this season are really believable. Obviously, we know she feels her brother is dead, and that’s part of the driving force, but what’s your key to really getting to the heart of her this season’s arc compared to season 1?
Ema Horvath: Yes, I knew it would be more tragic this season. It’s funny how personal life sometimes dovetails with work. I had a lot to do, I just came from a shoot where I worked nights, and I thought it was really appropriate, because I don’t think she sleeps much this season. I wanted her to look quite drained. I think this is someone who is stretched thin and is almost dying. Her youth is disappearing, her vitality is disappearing, so physically, that was probably where I entered her this season.
It was really important for me to talk to Lloyd. We spent hours on the phone discussing the dynamics. A lot of our story happens off screen, which makes it really important to talk to the other actors, so you know that when you show up, you’re on the same page of what’s going on. Because Númenor is a bit on the backburner this season. But yeah, I think I’m talking to Lloyd, connecting with him, making sure that we fully understood the story where the characters were and, unfortunately, the physical aspect was my way in. .
Eärien’s Sea Guard disbanding scene was an important chapter in her and Elendil’s breakup
“You feel silly ordering someone with the gravitas of Lloyd Owen around”
I would love to hear about the scene in which the Marines are disbanded like this, and you are trying to be the authoritative person there, but also after being Alendil’s daughter, who doesn’t necessarily want to disappoint her father.
Ema Horvath: Yeah, that scene is interesting, because the power dynamic has shifted, and I think she’s a character who believes, at this point, that she’s incapable of getting love, and if she can’t have love, she’s going to Settle for power and respect. And that’s obviously not true. I think anyone watching the show is probably yelling at their TV and being like, “No, no, no! If you’re just talking to each other or something, there’s got to be a way to fix this.” [Chuckles]
You feel silly when you’re ordering someone with Lloyd Owen’s gravitas around the set, which I think is supposed to read that way. But yes, she doesn’t think that love is possible for her. I don’t think she has lost so many people in her life. She believes her brother is dead, and she thinks her father won’t let go, and that’s why, by extension, she won’t let go of her, and that’s why this is the next best thing.
Do you think that is why she chooses to side with Pharazôn over Míriel, is the feeling of not having or not feeling she can be loved?
Emma Horvath: This is an element of it. I think there are three things. I think it’s that, I think she’s always had a bit of ambition, and the fact that the road opens from Parazon, who is the head of the builder’s guild, and she wants to be an architect. This is the second part. But the third part, which I think is sometimes lost, is that these views are mainstream on Númenor. The mainstream popular opinion is to engage with Pharazôn and be swayed by his rhetoric. The faithful are a small minority at this point in our history. So, I think it would also be very difficult for someone to listen to their parents, side with their parents, if the political and cultural waves are heading one way. So it’s all three. She is young enough to be swayed by this.
Valandil’s death is “Definitely a bit of a wake-up call“For Arian
“… There is a scene that was cut … “
With this week’s episode, since we can get into spoilers, we see someone who was very close to Eärien and Elendil get killed by Kemen in Valandil. Since you said a lot of Númenor’s stories are being told off-screen this season, how will that really affect her going forward, especially since her father was present for that moment?
Ema Horvath: Yes, there is a scene that was cut – I’m not sure if I can talk about it. [Chuckles] There’s a scene that was cut with Valandil before she drops the Palantir, which takes place in the Old Quarter, and it’s just the two of them. There’s a kind of silence, and the discussion is about their shared grief for Isildur, and the goal was to make the audience feel like, “Oh, there’s something there that’s just begging for someone to grieve with you, And she doesn’t. She doesn’t quite get what she wants from Valandil, and then ends up doing what she did in episode 3. What happens between Kemen and Valandil is definitely a bit of a wake-up call, I’ll say. That. Whether it is enough of one or not, that remains to be seen.
I know you can’t get too far ahead, but as far as the teasing goes, do you think this could be enough of a wake-up call to turn her back to her father? Or do you think that will drive you even further towards Farazon and his ideals?
Ema Horvath: Yes, to be honest, I don’t know the answer to that question. I think it might be one of the things that I think is in the second half of the season that you’ve seen is that it starts to be a little bit of, “Okay, how can I still protect the people that I love?” ?” I don’t think she’s giving up the fancy dress, and she’s not giving up her position, but there’s a little bit of bargaining and stuff going on behind the scenes, where she’s like, “Okay, let me save what I can, But I stay Meanwhile.”
About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2
In Season Two of The Rings of Power, Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the nations of Middle-earth to his Evil will. Building on the epic scope and ambition of Season One, the new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world increasingly on the brink of Disaster. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and harefoots… As friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to crumble, the forces of good will fight ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.
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