Morfydd Clark, who plays Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a royal elf out to exact revenge for her brother’s death by killing the dark lord Sauron, spoke about Galadriel’s development as a character and the startling turn the first season took.
Given Sauron’s ability to remain pretty much a mystery throughout the season, one of the most surprising developments in the finale was the disclosure that the charming King of the Southlands with Aragorn overtones, Halbrand, played by Charlie Vickers, was actually the most-wanted villain. The news that the man who saved Galadriel’s life and whom she has been battling to restore as King of the Southlands was, in reality, her worst enemy in disguise, sent shockwaves across the fanbase, and it seems that viewers aren’t the only ones affected by this reveal.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Clark reflected on working with Charlie Vickers and her reaction to the shocking revelation of Sauron’s true identity in the season one finale, saying:
I think Charlie is just wonderful. I’ve been really touched and felt so proud that people really love our chemistry in this. We really want people to know that came from Charlie making me feel so safe, and that meant that we had such freedom in our scenes. We feel really proud of what we’ve got there, and we needed them to have such strong chemistry so that it was devastating when she’s betrayed. For myself, as well as Galadriel, seeing him shift like that was really frightening. That line that he has, “I’ve had many names,” still gives me chills. Working with him has been a huge joy and my character would’ve been very different if I’d have had a different scene partner. I had the best!
The season finale left fans wondering how Celebrimbor will forge 16 more Rings of Power with Sauron after the shocking turn. Season 2’s plot details are uncertain at best, but we know that Morfydd Clark will reprise her role as Galadriel, and Charlie Vickers will reprise his role as Sauron, once known as Halbrand. It is unclear how the two will move forward in the wake of the betrayal. On the Elven side, we’ll see Robert Aramayo’s Elrond, Benjamin Walker’s High King Gil-galad, Charles Edwards’ Celebrimbor, and Ismael Cruz Cordova’s Arondir continuing their travels.