‘The Rings of Power’ Stars Charlie Vickers & Charles Edwards Dish On Making Tolkien’s Icons Their Own And Sauron’s ‘Breaking Bad’ Connection

This interview has been edited for clarity and contains mild spoilers from the first season.

Middle-earth, a realm teeming with Elves, Dwarves, and Men, faces a looming darkness in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Amazon Prime Video’s ambitious series plunges viewers into this Second Age, thousands of years before the events of the book trilogy and Peter Jackson’s beloved The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, reintroducing iconic characters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s expansive lore but with fresh faces. 

Among these, Charles Edwards (Downton Abbey, The Crown) steps into the role of the ambitious Elven smith Celebrimbor, and Charlie Vickers of Medici (2016) fame does the same for the enigmatic stranger, Halbrand, who harbours a dark secret – he is Sauron, the Dark Lord and overarching antagonist of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. But as we all know, bringing such legendary characters to life is no small feat. 

In an exclusive interview with Geek Culture, Edwards and Vickers shared their insights into navigating the pressure of portraying Tolkien’s icons and crafting their own interpretations.

Celebrimbor, played by Edwards, is a renowned Elven smith of the Second Age, celebrated for his skill and craftsmanship. He was tragically deceived by Sauron and played a pivotal role in the creation of the Rings of Power. Sauron, played by Vickers, is the Dark Lord, a fallen Maia and Morgoth’s most powerful servant. He is the master of deception and the ultimate antagonist in the struggle for Middle-earth, seeking dominion through the Rings of Power.

“We were very lucky that, other than glimpses of Sauron in the [Peter] Jackson movies, no one else has played these characters before,” Edwards remarked. “We were the first people to portray this particular story on the screen, so it’s a good position to start.” This blank slate, while daunting, allowed them the liberty to explore and experiment, crafting performances rooted in Tolkien’s text while still leaving room for their own interpretations.

Vickers echoed his sentiment, “We were given free rein, which was really nice. They allowed us to have lots of different options. I spent a lot of time developing [Sauron] with different movement techniques and different voice techniques.”

The creative freedom, however, didn’t absolve them of the responsibility to honour the essence of these characters. 

Celebrimbor, a master craftsman driven by a relentless pursuit of perfection, mirrors Edwards’ own self-proclaimed perfectionist tendencies. “I’m a perfectionist. But there’s quite a lot of similarities between Sauron and Celebrimbor in that they have a shared aim in this show. They’re both trying to create something for the good of Middle-earth. Except Sauron’s version of that is slightly different,” Edwards mused, only to be met with Vickers’ playful retort: “Mine is, Sauron’s in charge of the whole thing.”

For Vickers, transforming into Sauron, the Dark Lord, involved a deep dive into The Silmarillion (1977), Tolkien’s collection of mythopoeic stories that was completed by his son Christopher after his death in 1973. 

In The Silmarillion, Sauron is primarily described as a formidable and malevolent figure, emphasising his role as the first Dark Lord’s (Morgoth) most trusted servant and his skill in manipulation and deceit. This rings true for the second season of The Rings of Power, where Vickers’ Sauron manipulates Edwards’ Celebrimbor into forging the Rings of Power under the guise of Annatar, the ‘Lord of Gifts’.

With the revelation of his true identity in the previous season, Vickers found a newfound clarity in his portrayal of Sauron. “He [Sauron] serves the purpose of the villain, but I think audiences can like him if they want. I think the perspective of this season has Sauron as quite an enticing, seductive, exciting character, because he’s doing bad stuff, but we’re kind of along for the ride, and I think that gives him the qualities of an anti-hero,” Vickers explained. 

“In his mind, he’s the hero, the saviour of Middle-earth. The showrunners were inspired by characters like Breaking Bad’s Walter White and all those anti-hero characters that we as an audience get to watch do horrible things, but because of the perspective of the show, we’re with them on the journey.”

It’s interesting that Vickers compares Sauron to the likes of Breaking Bad’s Walter White. As absurd as the comparison is at first, it’s important to note that both characters embody a transformation from good to evil, driven by ruthless ambition and manipulative tactics. They share intellectual prowess and leave behind destructive legacies. 

Vickers’ dedication to his craft shines through as he reveals the meticulous process behind his portrayal of Sauron. By immersing himself in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion and studying iconic anti-heroes, Vickers has meticulously constructed a Sauron that is both faithful to the source material and imbued with his own blend of menace and charisma. As he eloquently puts it, “Everything comes back to The Silmarillion, and that’s where I kind of built the character [Sauron] from. It all had to be rooted in the text.” 

This exploration of Sauron’s inner world even extended to his musical tastes. “Actually, [Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero song] wasn’t on my playlist, but it could be. I used a lot of choral music, but now that you mention it, maybe that could be the top song on the playlist in season three. Maybe even in the soundtrack,” Vickers playfully jokes. “You could talk to Bear McCreary (The Rings of Power composer). Yeah, could be the new intro music for the show.”

Edwards, in contrast, envisioned a more eclectic mix for Celebrimbor’s playlist. “[Celebrimbor would have] a lot of Philip Glass. The rhythmics would be on there. The Bee Gees. Toto. A lot of sinister stuff is on our list.”

“Like [the song] Sadness by Enigma. That song was big for me,” Vickers admitted. “Sauron is all about sadness, but also happiness for the people of Middle-earth.” A chilling reminder that even the darkest of villains can believe they are acting for the greater good, blurring the lines between heroism and villainy in a way that will undoubtedly keep audiences at the edge of their seats.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 is now streaming on Prime Video.