Major spoilers for the first two episodes of Rings of Power Season 2 are ahead. If you have not seen them, you can stream the series with an Amazon Prime subscription.
On a show like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, one does not simply say “Rings of Power” or “Lord of the Rings,” those terms are too big to throw around. So, when both were mentioned by Sauron in the same scene, I screamed out of excitement because they came at the perfect time.
So, when it came time to chat with the Rings of Power cast about Season 2, I had to ask about this pivotal moment where Sauron emerges from the flames as Annatar and convinces Celebrimbor to work with him. In response, Charlie Vickers, who plays the big bad, and Patrick McKay, the showrunner, told me the importance of the moment and how they went about creating it.
Rings Of Power’s Patrick McKay Explains Why Saruon Gave That Speech To Celebrimbor
For a bit of context during the second episode of Rings of Power’s sophomore season, which just started its run on the 2024 TV schedule, Sauron goes to Celebrimbor to manipulate him into making the rings of power. To do that, he transforms into Annatar, the Lord of Gifts. In the scene where Sauron shapeshifts from Halbrand into Annatar, he says things like the “rings of power are our last chance of restoring the light” and that Celebrimbor could be revered as “the lord of the rings.”
Again, one does not casually say those words. However, they were vital in this moment, as showrunner Patrick McKay told CinemaBlend during the junket for Season 2:
Well, it all comes down to character, right? You know, the scenario is coming from the mythology, the idea that, you know, Sauron presents as Annatar and deceives Celebrimbor into making the rings. But when it came down to the scene work in there, what we're really thinking about, and the god we're really praying to, is: if we were in Celebrimbor’s shoes, he cannot be stupid, he cannot be gulled, you know? Sauron has to earn it. Celebrimbor is very smart. He's a genius. And so Sauron needed to up his game and present in such a way that blew Celebrimbor’s mind.
As we learned in Rings of Power’s trailers, evil is taking a front seat this season, and that really started to become evident in this moment. As McKay noted, Celebrimbor is not easily deceived, so Sauron needed to pull out the big guns. That meant everyone involved in the creation of the scene had to do that while making it too.
Charlie Vickers And Patrick McKay Reveal How They Shot Sauron’s Monologue
To prepare for this pivotal moment that really gets the ball rolling with Celebrimbor and Saurons’ story this season, McKay explained that it took “many, many months” to plan as they talked about Annatar’s costume, Vickers’ performance, rehearsals and more.
He also spoke about the importance of Celebrimbor’s extreme reaction to Sauron's monologue, saying:
Charles Edwards, who plays Celebrimbor, when he's on set, and he's going [makes a shocked face] and he's agog, you know, every now and then someone will say, like, ‘Is he over the top?’ Like, ‘No, no. When you see what [he’s looking at], it will make sense.’ And, you know, but it had to, because this is the moment he is won over and sort of set on the path that will end in, well, stay tuned.
Meanwhile, Charlie Vickers told me his speech was actually recorded over and over again in ADR, because, as you saw, he’s not on screen for most of it. However, he did get to say it on set as Edwards’ reacted, which added to the moment. The Sauron actor continued to explain the process of nailing this significant speech, telling me:
If I'm not mistaken, that's when I say it, when I'm not visible, right? [Celebrimbor is] walking through. So I recorded that voiceover like 20 times. And I remember I recorded it on set, and I said it through a god microphone when he was doing the acting. But they didn't use that because, I think it was quiet… and then I recorded some temp stuff, and then I went into a booth and recorded it in like 1000s of different ways.
He continued by telling me he was “lucky” he got to re-record the moment many times, because he knew “saying the title of the show” was “going to be an important line.” Well, he was right.
The moment in question is shocking, powerful and deeply intense, and it works because of all the thought and care that went into it. As early reviews for Rings of Power’s second season have noted, Vickers is a standout this season, and the story between Sauron and Celebrimbor is fascinating. Personally, I can’t wait to see how it unfolds following this intense interaction.
Thankfully, we’ll be able to find out soon, as Rings of Power will continue dropping new episodes every Thursday on Amazon Prime.
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