Reprising his role as High King of the Ñoldorin Elves Ereinion Gil-galad in Season Two of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is actor Benjamin Walker. The Prime Video series, known for its sweeping scale, brings alive JRR Tolkien’s fantasy world with pulsating intensity. Set thousands of years before the novel in the Second Age of Middle-earth, the new season — that premieres on the streaming service globally on August 29 — depicts the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron and the creation of more Rings of Power. Before that, t2oS engaged in a freewheeling chat with Walker on his love for and deep knowledge of Tolkien’s world, balancing the dual personalities of Gil-galad and more.

The Hobbit was apparently the first ‘big boy’ book that your elder brother gifted you. What did walking into JRR Tolkien’s universe mean to you then and what did walking into the world of the series mean to you when you became Gil-galad in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?

When I was gifted the book, like most Tolkienian first-timers, it was an expansion of my imagination. The idea that someone imagined such a dense and beautiful world and had the skill to write it down and share it, especially as a young boy, for me, was eye-opening and gave me a sense of what is possible in art and imagination.

And when I got the job in Rings of Power, it was one of those pinch-me moments that you have maybe once or twice in a career... one of those ‘are you kidding me?’ moments.

Along with knowing how fortunate I feel, it is also about how excited I feel in terms of the fact that they are trying to do something new within the universe of Tolkien.

Knowing so much of this universe must have been a huge advantage, but did it also impede your spontaneity and the element of surprise in any way?

No. The more you know, the better. And because it is a television show, there are moments when you have to depart from the literature in some way, or edit it in some way. But that is true in any art form. When you are doing the ballet of Romeo and Juliet, you can’t do every scene from the play. But it is good to know what it is about.

The more you know as an actor — and the writers and showrunners are infinitely well-versed in the lore — the more you understand the story, where you are coming from, where you are going and who these characters are. So it only helps to be well-versed in the legendarium.

Charlotte Brandstrom

Was there any initial concern about getting the material right?

Yes, absolutely. It is a lot of work. But then, the question assumes that there is a right. I can say that I think Tolkien would be very happy with what we have done and what we are doing. The way I define getting it right is being true to what has been written.

I am respectful to what has come before (in The Lord of the Rings universe). I want the work to be entertaining and exciting for people that have no context for Tolkien, but also people that are as well-versed as I am and those that are infinitely more well-versed... I want them to be satisfied as well. That, sometimes, is a hard line to walk.

I would define getting it right as it being a good experience. Getting it right in the sense that people see the show and if they don’t have context for it, they would want to read the books. For people that are well-versed in the literature, they see our show and are pleasantly surprised and they see that we are paying it the respect that it deserves.

Was there a particular moment from the book that you really wanted to have in the script?

One thing that I really like about the book is that the book is funny. Even the Elves are dry and they are kind of obsessed with music. There are these great passages where they break into song when they are staring into a puddle of water... these are elements that are so uniquely Tolkien. Even though they aren’t specific beats that we mirror in the show, the sentiment of it is there... that the sense of humour and play is present and that the use of music is important. Certainly we do both those things.

Gil-galad is a peacekeeper on one hand and a warrior prince on the other. A lot of it must have been in the writing, but as an actor, how did you achieve the balance between these two dichotomous identities? It must not be easy...

That is a great question. You are right... it isn’t easy. It is well written, but also, it is well written all the way back to the way Tolkien created the King, because it taps into the idea of what a real warrior is. Characters in literature and leaders in the world today — the ones that actually understand what it means to be a warrior and to be a leader — know the importance of not fighting. For example, if you have ever been in a fistfight, you don’t want to be in more fistfights.

It is one thing to maintain a state of peace as a leader when you have never been in a state of war. Gil comes with an understanding of both. I don’t really separate the two... I don’t think they are two separate characters. I think what makes him a well-rounded leader is that he is a warrior who is fighting not to fight.

Did the two personalities cross paths with one another when you were preparing for the character?

I think his warrior nature makes him an astute politician because he is constantly anticipating the movement of evil in Middle-earth. But also with the understanding that when evil fully rises, he knows what to do.

Going back a little, what was the most heartwarming and the most eureka-inducing feedback that came your way for Season One?

Some of the most heartwarming moments about Season One were about the off-camera work. I really like the creativity on the show, I like the creative team that I get to work with.

Also, it was a very troubling time for most of the world because we were filming around Covid. We were all sequestered in New Zealand, away from our families and homes. Inspite of it being an uncomfortable time, the fact that everyone was nice, kind and professional was a really good experience. And I think that translates into the work. I think you can tell on screen that we like each other, we get along and that we are all working together to tell this story.

Can you take us through some of your favourite moments in Season Two?

One of your earlier questions was about the dichotomy of the King as both peacekeeper and warrior. While in the first season, we get to see quite a bit of him using his political mind, in the second season, what was very exciting to do and will be very exciting to watch is the beginnings of the other side of the King. You have to remember, he is one of the oldest Elvens in our series. In that time, he has had quite a good experience doing both and we get to see a bit more of the warrior king.

What do you think makes Tolkien relevant through the ages?

Another great question! What is interesting about Tolkien to me, and why it is still applicable today, is that even though he has all these different species of creatures and characters in his world, it illuminates something unique about the human experience, which is the ebb and flow of the light and the dark. That goodness requires constant vigilance. For Middle-earth to survive, all these different tribes and species have to come together and be the best versions of themselves if they are going to overcome evil.

Do you feel the pressure from staunch fans when it comes to bringing alive such a beloved and complex story?

You are right. There is pressure associated with it. But luckily, I have an incredible army of people that help me do my job, right down to the details of the wardrobe. There are some days I turn up on set and the world I step into seems so intricate, beautiful and detailed that it kind of does a huge part of the job for me.

I don’t have to look up and imagine a gorgeous tree in Lindon (the Elven region ruled by Gil-galad) because they have already made one! Everyone that works on this project is at the top of their game; we have support from beginning to end.

The Lord of the Rings falls pretty much into the top-of-the-bucket list category. Is there anything else you are keen to conquer as an actor besides playing an Elven king in a sprawling Tolkien series?

There are all kinds of things I would love to do. At this point, I am so elated to have this job that it feels a bit greedy to want to do other things on this scale. Star Wars, I love. I would wear a Stormtrooper uniform and stand in the deep background if they would have me! (Laughs) I love Shakespeare. I went to a classical theatre training programme. I think that is another reason I really like Tolkien... there is something Shakespearean about it, especially the elves. I would love to do a great Shakespeare play, but right now, I am really happy where I am.

She directed the penultimate and the final episode of Season One and when Charlotte Brandstrom was called upon for a bigger bite of the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power — directing four episodes — she jumped at it. We spoke to the Swedish-French filmmaker on the morning that her most recent directorial venture Shogun notched up a record 25 Primetime Emmy nominations at this year’s edition. But what has Charlotte, 65, even more energised and excited is the opportunity, come August 29, to present the latest season of The Rings of Power to the world.

After spending so many years in the business and having directed quite a few landmark projects, does the launch of any project, and especially one as big as The Rings of Power, still evoke excitement and nervous energy?

It is more excitement than nervous energy, I would say. Nervousness probably happens more on the first day of shoot when you are getting into it. It is also exciting because there is so much work in every project and you put a lot of yourself into it.

The element of excitement also comes in when you work on a project for a long time and you finally see the puzzle pieces coming together. But when it comes out, it doesn’t belong to you anymore, it is with the audience. It is a lot like when you have a child and then it grows up and you are not responsible anymore.

You directed the last two episodes of Season One of The Rings of Power. What was your first reaction when you were told you were coming back for a bigger gig in the second season?

I was very flattered that they asked me to come back because that means that they were happy with what I did in the first season. It was also very exciting because there are many elements to making a show. As a director, one can be unique and original and it also has to do with the people you work with. Those I worked with in The Rings of Power are very good in listening, in collaborating.... Filmmaking is really about collaboration.

Directing the last two episodes of the first season where the ball had already started rolling or having the responsibility of bringing to life four episodes of this season — what would you count as more challenging?

This season obviously involved much more work. I feel that what I did in the two episodes of the first season was a prelude (to this season) because I started with some big action episodes in Season One. There are always challenges but the biggest challenge on this was to keep going and stay at it for a year.

JD Payne and Patrick McKay, the showrunners of The Rings of Power, told t2oS that Season Two would be darker, grittier and more intense than the first. What have you done to achieve that?

It is much more dramatic and it is definitely darker. It is more character-driven because once the setup is done, which we achieved in the first season, you can dig deeper into that world. There is more conflict, more danger... there is more at stake. It revolves very much around Sauron (played by Charlie Vickers). He has a very important part. He likes to get into everybody’s world, he is the big deceiver, the big manipulator and he obviously is evil.

Have you always been a fan of The Lord of the Rings universe? What was your first brush with it?

I was probably 15 or 16. I had read the books a long time ago and I had obviously watched all the Peter Jackson films and loved them. When I heard about The Rings of Power, I was very excited. We are not redoing the Peter Jackson-directed films because our series is set in the Second Age. In Peter Jackson’s films, Sauron is not portrayed in the way we have shown him. Our series is very much about the rise of Sauron and him trying to take over the world.

What do you think it is about JRR Tolkien’s writing and world-building that appeals to readers and viewers across generations?

I watched a film called Tolkien (2019) a few years ago which was based on him and how he was inspired to write from the events in the First World War.

History always repeats itself. There are events today that you can compare to what happened then. Tolkien’s writing is about ultimate power and how power corrupts. The power lies in the ‘Rings’ and whoever has that in their hands gets corrupted. That is something you see today.

I don’t think that Tolkien wrote about something specific, but it is always relevant. Also, his characters are very grounded and real. They obviously imbue magic into the natural elements of the world... to the rain, mud, the wind, the dust, the light. You feel that. But at the same time, the characters are real and you can easily identify and engage emotionally with them.

What kind of reactions did the episodes that you directed in Season One evoke?

I was very lucky because I got two really great scripts and that enabled me to create a world within that world... we had Mount Doom (a volcano in The Lord of the Rings that’s also known as Amon Amarth and which ‘responds’ to Sauron’s presence, becoming dormant when he’s away and active when he returns) exploding and Middle-earth covered in ashes.

We had (cinematographer) Alex Dissenhof and he managed to portray everything very viscerally. It felt like within the whole series, we were making a feature film. The battles were also exciting... there are some good dramatic scenes. I really liked the confrontation scene between Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Adar (Joseph Mawle) in Episode 6. There is a lot of performance, but action is also performance.

Season One also came in for a fair bit of criticism and that is expected, given the strong and vast fandom. Has that influenced how you and the showrunners have approached this season?

I am sure it has because everyone is aware of the criticism. There is some criticism that one shouldn’t pay attention to because it is not constructive. But there are also some people who said things that we felt were true and that we could improve upon. We had to decide what was worth paying attention to to make it better.

How much of a tightrope has it been to ensure that you come up with a season that is full of rewards for devoted followers of The Lord of the Rings, but is still thrilling enough for new fans?

You can watch this series without knowing too much about The Lord of the Rings. It stands on its own and as we discussed earlier, it feels relevant to a lot of things happening in the world today.

We have got good performances and it is also beautiful to watch. It is very cinematic. The showrunners have a very specific idea of where they are taking the seasons. They have five seasons at their disposal and they have planned them all out already.

On a lighter note, if you were dropped into Middle-earth, who would you want to be in this universe?

I think I would like to be an elf. I don’t know which one yet! Maybe Galadriel.

You have directed some notable projects over the years and have mixed it up in terms of genres. But is there a particular genre that you find yourself drawn to more?

I am attracted to world-building and portraying a parallel world. I am also attracted to shows that have strong characters, ambiguous characters, edgy characters, so that there are good actors to direct.

As a viewer, I like to watch what we are not seeing every day on the streets. I like to enter worlds, so this (The Rings of Power) is something I enjoy. But it doesn’t have to be only fantasy. I once did a show called Counterpart where we created a very different kind of Berlin.

Decades ago, what prompted a young Charlotte to want to tell stories and to tell stories of this scale?

I started off wanting to make documentaries on wildlife. When I came to Los Angeles, I actually studied anthropology and then I went to film school and I started telling stories. I realised that this is something that is very exciting to do and I am probably not too bad at it (smiles). I love being on film sets, I like being around my crew. I like to create. It is a bit like a dream, it is never-ending. Every time you make a film, it is a new beginning. You never get tired of it because it is not like going back to the same job every day. You do a project and then you move on to a new one. You feel like you are renewing yourself constantly. It is also something where you can constantly improve and that keeps the excitement alive. What I love most about it is that you make a living, but you don’t feel like you are going to work.

Is there a recent project that has stimulated you immensely as a storyteller and as a filmmaker?

Shogun was a very exciting project. It is very well written and has amazing characters.