SPOILERS are ahead for Season 1 of Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, now streaming with an Amazon subscription.
As we await Rings of Power’s second season, how can we forget the epic battle between the Orcs and the Southlands in Season 1? The events of Episode 6 had Númenór’s army marching in to aid the Southlands as well thanks to Galadriel’s probing to Queen Tar-Míriel to do so. However, one casualty of the battle was Tar-Míriel’s sight amidst the eruption of Mount Doom. It was the kind of scene that reminded us the series is one of Amazon Prime’s best original shows. When CinemaBlend spoke to the actress behind the queen, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, she spoke about how she chose to approach her blindness.
In our interview, Cynthia Addai-Robinson shared that since the beginning of her time on Rings of Power, she was playing Tar-Míriel blind, because many of her first scenes were after the events of the Episode 6 battle. And so, when she returned for Season 2, she felt she had “recognition” already in play about how to play the queen along with where the headspace is of her people. Unfortunately, in Season 2, we’ll be seeing her return to her people, who are disappointed and angry with her decisions as a leader, and she’ll have to “project strength” and not “appear weakened.” Addai-Robinson also said this:
So for me, it was about having this aspect of blindness, and yet knowing the terrain that she literally has known all her life. I didn't want to sort of have Miriel fumbling around in places that she has literally walked through all her life. There's a certain element of moving with some confidence. But, it really was about utilizing all her other senses and her knowledge of people and her people specifically, so that all the other senses are heightened. She's listening for things. She's sensing a shift in energy in a room. She’s tactile and feels things.
Playing a blind character is a difficult tightrope to walk, especially because the actor has to be aware of not falling into stereotypes and an unrealistic portrayal of what losing one’s sight means. As she shared, she decided that Tar-Míriel would be able to move within her home of Númenór with confidence because of the lifetime she’s spent there. However, there was one element that presented to be a challenge for her, at first. As she continued:
So, just as that character, it was about really kind of focusing on the other senses and sensations, because unfortunately, the one thing that I did not have that I feel like I typically rely on is connecting through my fellow actors by looking into their eyes. That was interesting for me to sort of think on, ‘Okay, well if I can't look a person in the eye and vice versa, how does that shift the scene or change a relationship and how I relate to somebody. So, the most important thing for me was I just wanted to feel like it didn't take away from her strength and how she needed to project leadership. And so, I think she also has that in her mind. She's still a leader of her people, blind or not, that doesn't really sort of change her intention to sort of lead and protect her people.
While watching the actress’s performance, one might not realize how behind the scenes there’s a dynamic that is being transformed due to Tar-Míriel's lack of sight, but it’s worth bringing up. The blind and visually impaired community must learn how to navigate through not getting to have eye contact with and see facial expressions of those who they are speaking to in conversations, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson had a taste of this through her role. We’ll be curious to learn more about how Númenór reacts to their queen in Season 2, along with how she deals with the fallout of her trust in Galadriel.
During our interview with Cynthia Addai-Robinson, the actress also spoke of her excitement for Charlie Vickers' Sauron to be out in the open this season. You can look forward to the season premiere of Rings of Power on August 29.
