Rings Of Power Star Tried To Get Sauron To Admit It
Arondir's Ismael Cruz Cordova had suspicions that his co-star Charlie Vickers was secretly Sauron, and he often attempted to get him to admit it during filming.
Rings of Power star, Ismael Cruz Cordova predicted the show’s Sauron twist well before the season finale. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the 35-year-old, who played Arondir the elf, said he would tease Charlie Vickers, hoping that he would cave in and admit his status as the show’s big bad. “He was very good at not giving anything away,” he told the publication.
“And as we went on, it just became so clear. I would be like, ‘Hey, what’s up, Sauron?’ just to try to get it out of him.” Sauron revealed himself in the eighth episode of Rings of Power after Galadriel tells Halbrand she knows he’s not a Southland King.
When the Dark Lord asks her to become his Queen and rule Middle-earth, she refuses and he flees to Mordor. The mystery actually adhered closely to J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels. In the source material, Sauron comes to the elves disguised as a fair man, to trick them into forging the first three rings of power and learn their secrets in the process.
Although there were a few candidates in Rings of Powers, like the Stranger who fell from the sky, the Lord-father of the Orcs, and the witch with pyromania tendencies, Halbrand has always been the favorite. Otherwise, his previous encounter with Galadriel on the vast sea would have been completely out of place. Interestingly, Vickers was unknowingly cast as Sauron after six or seven auditions.
He landed the role when the Rings of Power showrunners gave him two monologues to recite. One was from William Shakespeare’s Richard III and the other from John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost. Since the latter was spoken by Satan, the actor started to suspect that his role was for a villainous character.
However, he remained unaware of Halbrand actually being Sauron until the Rings of Power bosses told him during the third episode’s filming. “The guys sat me down right before we started filming, and said you’re playing Sauron,” he said via Entertainment Weekly. Vickers added that by that time he already had an idea about his character, but it was nice to get it properly confirmed.
Based on the stories by J. R. R. Tolkien, The Rings of Power was developed for television by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay. The first season is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The story begins during a time of relative peace and covers major events of the time.
This includes the forging of the Rings of Power, Sauron’s rise to power, the fall of the island Kingdom of Númenor, and the final alliance between men and elves. The eight-episode run received positive reviews from critics, who praised its cinematography, visuals, and musical score. But its pacing and characterization didn’t get the same adoration.
Filming for the second season of Rings of Power began in early October and should be set for release sometime in 2023. However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Patrick McKay said a might be “a couple of years” before the next season is ready.
