The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Interview - Charles Edwards, Cynthia Addai-Robinson - video Dailymotion

Cinema Blend

The stars of “The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power,” including Charles Edwards (Celebrimbor), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Queen Regent Míriel), Ema Horvath (Eärien), Ismael Cruz Cordova (Arondir), Daniel Weyman (The Stranger), and Maxim Baldry (Isildur), discuss their new addition to the “LOTR” world in this interview with CinemaBlend from San Diego Comic-Con. They discuss how their characters may or not meet in the show, joining this growing world, and more!

Transcript

00:00 We had no idea what all the other guys were doing

00:02 in different levels.

00:03 - That's what I wanted to ask.

00:05 Have you guys shared scenes together

00:06 or are you meeting for the first time somewhat recently?

00:09 - Well, that goes into secrets.

00:12 (all laughing)

00:14 - Nice try.

00:14 (upbeat music)

00:17 - Before you guys dive into your own production at all,

00:28 have you touched the Peter Jackson films

00:31 just to maybe set the tone for yourself

00:33 or do you wanna keep a distance from what exists?

00:36 - I think, you know, I'll speak for myself.

00:38 I think it's great to have the film as a reference,

00:43 as something that, you know,

00:44 obviously is a classic set of films,

00:48 but we very much were intent

00:51 on really creating our own thing.

00:53 This is our adaptation

00:55 and it's nice to have ownership over that.

00:58 For me personally, it's really about Tolkien's writing

01:01 and always going back to the literature and the lore.

01:05 And obviously it's inspired many adaptations.

01:08 And so, you know, we all get to coexist happily.

01:12 So to me, you know, I know the comparison

01:15 is a natural one to make,

01:17 but I think this feels like something

01:19 that is a new, fresh take

01:23 and you can enjoy our version

01:26 and you can enjoy all the other versions

01:27 that are out there.

01:29 - Charlie, to that end, with the lore,

01:30 you could get swallowed up, you know,

01:33 as much as we want to. - Oh yeah, we should be.

01:36 - So how much do you just rely on the script,

01:38 you know, what's in front of you to get through it?

01:40 And how much did you branch off and deep dive into?

01:43 - I branched off, once I arrived on set,

01:46 a lot of my work was with Rob Aramayo,

01:48 who's a very, he's a very smart guy when it comes to Tolkien.

01:53 And so I did a lot of reading,

01:56 but my character exists in a key,

01:59 but in a very minimal way in our usable source material.

02:03 So as far as Celebrimbor is concerned,

02:05 I did all the research I could,

02:06 but Tolkien gives us a sketch, essentially,

02:09 of Antwerp in terms of my character.

02:12 And it's up to me and everyone else,

02:15 all the heads of department and the showrunners

02:16 to contribute to the character,

02:19 bring the wardrobe, the design of the studio,

02:23 all that stuff.

02:24 So I have since done a lot more reading,

02:28 but the reading I did before I started acting the role

02:32 was purely focused on the character.

02:34 - Gotcha.

02:35 Emma, when there are so many characters

02:37 in a series like this and so many storylines,

02:39 it can be tough for the audience to keep it all straight

02:42 and, you know, try to follow different plot lines

02:45 and how things are grouped.

02:46 How does this show in particular work

02:48 to maybe avoid some of that confusion?

02:50 - I think the worlds are so separate

02:53 and rich and beautiful in their own ways.

02:55 I think there's, I remember, like,

02:56 we saw the first three episodes a few days ago.

02:59 And each world has its own very distinct color palette

03:03 and atmosphere, and you can feel it coming

03:07 from the first shot when we switch

03:08 to a different storyline.

03:10 So I think there's no trouble there.

03:11 - Maxim, your character is best known

03:13 for not destroying the One Ring

03:15 when he had the opportunity to do that.

03:17 - Sorry.

03:18 (laughing)

03:19 - Way to go. - Sorry, guys.

03:20 (laughing)

03:21 - But I mean, so now this gives you an opportunity

03:23 to explore a different aspect of that character.

03:25 That's primarily what he's known for.

03:26 So what was it like having the ability

03:28 to go down different roads with him?

03:29 - I mean, a privilege and an honor.

03:32 Definitely felt the weight of expectation

03:33 of people's interpretation of this character.

03:36 But we're kind of at the beginning of his journey, almost.

03:39 And I was grateful to be able to explore the,

03:44 you know, him finding himself and wanting to, you know,

03:48 not wanting to pursue his father's dream

03:50 and becoming a sea captain,

03:51 kind of wanting to do something else

03:53 and take it in a different direction.

03:54 And I think in turn, it makes him a lot more relatable

03:57 and maybe you can understand him down the line.

04:00 - Right.

04:01 - A little bit more.

04:02 - I hope so.

04:03 We'll see.

04:04 Daniel, I wanna talk about fan theories, if I could.

04:06 - Sure.

04:06 - There've been some fun ones out there

04:08 about your character primarily being associated

04:10 with what they call the Meteor Man.

04:12 - Right.

04:13 - How much have you read up on this?

04:15 I'm not gonna ask you to clarify anything

04:17 unless you want to right now.

04:19 But do you have fun sort of exploring fan theories?

04:21 - Yeah, when it all started, I did.

04:23 And now I think it's so massive.

04:26 - Right.

04:27 - And actually it's sort of so exciting

04:28 that people are having those discussions

04:29 quite aside from anything that I'm saying.

04:31 So I'm sort of letting that all cook away,

04:33 but I am really excited that when we, you know,

04:36 nearly under a month,

04:37 we're gonna be able to start showing people

04:38 what we've got in terms of this character.

04:40 And then those discussions are gonna start really honing in

04:43 and that's when it'll get sort of even funner, I think.

04:46 So I'm waiting for that.

04:47 - Are you sort of fending off from friends and family?

04:50 - Yeah.

04:51 (laughing)

04:52 But that's because I've seen that,

04:52 that's been going on for, you know, two years.

04:55 'Cause for all of us, really,

04:56 we've been trying to keep a lot of under wraps

04:58 so that when people see it on screen,

04:59 it's the first time they're experiencing things.

05:01 - Sure.

05:02 And to that end, Ismail,

05:04 when was the moment when it actually felt,

05:05 the enormity of it all felt real to you on set?

05:09 - I was gonna say the enormity of it,

05:10 whole H.

05:11 (laughing)

05:14 On set.

05:15 - That's the first time I'm assuming?

05:15 - Yes.

05:16 - What did that feel like?

05:17 - Rockstar moment.

05:18 - Yeah, yeah.

05:19 - Yeah.

05:20 - Rockstar moment, it was so great.

05:21 - Can you see far out?

05:22 - You can, but you definitely can feel that wave of energy.

05:26 Like you really can.

05:27 And for the most part, it feels,

05:29 I mean, it feels positive.

05:30 You just feel like you're there to be celebrated

05:33 and embraced.

05:34 But for me on set, the enormity of it all,

05:38 to be honest, first day on set.

05:41 - Really?

05:42 - I got in full costume, full prosthetics,

05:45 and just saw this incredible world

05:48 that they have built inside of Sam's stage,

05:50 in which every aspect of it was thought out

05:54 and obsessed over and thought about.

05:58 Even things that you know they're not gonna make

05:59 in the camera.

06:00 - Okay.

06:01 - But it was all part of the environment,

06:03 and that's the commitment that I think

06:05 is the through line for the show,

06:07 and the through line for the characters as well.

06:10 - So, Tolkien, when he was writing "Lord of the Rings,"

06:12 had a lot of parallels to World War II at the time.

06:15 And I'm curious how you guys think the show

06:17 speaks to our modern age, if it does at all.

06:20 - Well, I think it does.

06:23 I think, I mean, I think all art is representative

06:26 of the times, and it's not really,

06:28 the art doesn't have to speak to the times.

06:30 I think the times speak to the art.

06:32 And if people have the lens of what's happening right now,

06:35 they will definitely feel,

06:36 and they will definitely find their own attachments,

06:39 their own metaphors, their own stories.

06:42 I think because it is so driven by humanity,

06:45 and it's so driven by truth and honesty,

06:47 that it's going to be universal in that sense.

06:49 - Right.

06:50 Steve, when you guys were filming,

06:51 do we get a sense of what content

06:54 was going into each episode?

06:55 Could you guys, like, could you think of an episode

06:57 that you can't wait for fans to see?

06:59 Or when you were filming, it was just one massive story?

07:02 - Well, I know for me, my first day

07:05 was toward the end of the season.

07:07 So I had this interesting process

07:09 of almost working backwards a little bit.

07:14 This story really ramps up.

07:16 And in each of the worlds,

07:17 there's a real sort of build to a crescendo.

07:20 And so there's some stuff toward the end of the season

07:24 that I know I can't wait to see.

07:26 And what I really take pleasure in, again,

07:29 is that, you know, I'm excited

07:31 for what happens in my own world,

07:33 but I love watching my friends in their worlds

07:36 sort of just have these amazing stories,

07:39 and they just bring these characters to life.

07:41 I know these people, I'm continuing to get to know them.

07:44 I love them so much.

07:45 And it's just exciting to just sort of watch your friends

07:48 do their thing and really bring a true sense

07:51 of who they are to these characters.

07:52 - And that's something that we've only been afforded

07:54 recently, very recently.

07:56 We had no idea what all the other guys were doing

07:59 in that different world.

08:00 - That's what I wanted to ask.

08:00 Like, how much, have you guys shared scenes together,

08:03 or are you meeting for the first time somewhat recently?

08:06 - Well, that goes into secrets.

08:08 (all laughing)

08:10 - Nice try.

08:13 - But what is a character moment, Charlie,

08:16 that you can't wait for fans to experience?

08:18 Whether it may be a meeting between certain characters?

08:21 - It's difficult to talk about.

08:23 - Okay.

08:24 - But, I think for him, for me,

08:29 and I'm so excited to be playing this role

08:32 that has never been, to my knowledge,

08:34 been played before other than in a video game.

08:36 But I don't play video games, so, you know,

08:39 I don't know what he's like in that game.

08:41 But it's, and it will be his first appearance, I think.

08:46 Because when you see him in situ, in his workplace,

08:50 and you know what may be coming later in the show,

08:56 it kind of, it sets the scene.

08:58 And that's very exciting to be part of.

09:00 - I will get you guys out of here on this.

09:03 How do you guys feel about binging versus, you know,

09:06 waiting a week in between,

09:07 or waiting for some time in between?

09:09 - Good things come to those who wait.

09:11 - Yeah.

09:12 - I think it's, you know, let it linger.

09:14 And maybe watch it again, you know?

09:17 I think it's, you know, I know it's like,

09:20 like imagine someone setting a really delicious pie

09:22 in front of you and you could eat the whole pie,

09:25 but that would be a lot.

09:26 Wouldn't you rather spread it out over the week?

09:29 - No.

09:29 (laughing)

09:31 - I think it would do a disservice to binge it.

09:34 - Right.

09:35 - I think it is such high quality television.

09:38 The conversation is going to be so big

09:39 that you're not going to be able to get away from spoilers.

09:43 I think every week people should tune in at a time

09:46 and like enjoy it and be part of the conversation.

09:48 - And actually to watch it communally, I think will be,

09:49 'cause I was thinking, yeah, actually I want to watch this.

09:51 I know Amazon do the watch parties,

09:53 but I think that kind of communal watching

09:55 could be really great.

09:56 - Yeah.

09:57 - Just from watching it together.

09:58 (upbeat music)

10:00 - 'Cause one of the issues about when a full season drops

10:03 is you never know where anybody is in it.

10:05 And the first question you always ask is like,

10:06 how far have you watched?

10:07 What episode are you on?

10:08 Kind of thing.

10:09 So I do really appreciate when everybody's

10:10 at the same point in the story

10:12 and then people can talk about it that way.

10:13 So I can't wait till we can all start experiencing it.

10:15 Thank you guys for coming by.

10:16 (all talking)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Interview - Charles Edwards, Cynthia Addai-Robinson

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