Behind ‘Rings Of Power’s Sauron Reveal As Actor Speaks About Secret Identity & Clues Fans May Have Missed - Deadline

SPOILER ALERT: The interrogation includes details astir the Season 1 finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

In 1 of the biggest twists successful the Season 1 finale of Prime Video’s LOTR: The Rings Of Power, Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), the charismatic King of the Southlands with beardown Aragorn vibes astir him, was revealed to beryllium uber villain Sauron. His existent individuality was discovered by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) who became suspicious arsenic Halbrand was eagerly helping Celebrimbor and his squad forge the 3 elven rings.

In an interrogation with Deadline, Vickers speaks astir the large revelation, however agelong helium has known astir his character’s existent individuality and however the accusation helped signifier his performance. He discusses Sauron’s affectional coming-out country with Galadriel, his motives and the rationale down his determination to prevention Galadriel astatine oversea and past effort to termination Adar. Additionally, helium shares immoderate clues astir Halbrand being Sauron that fans whitethorn person missed passim the season.

For a afloat breakdown of the finale, ticker Deadline’s Inside The Ring, The Rings Of Power aftershow whose play finale volition beryllium released Oct. 15 astatine 10 AM PT.

DEADLINE: How did you find retired that your quality was Sauron?

VICKERS: It took a while, actually. We filmed the archetypal 2 episodes, past went connected a six-month, five-month hiatus due to the fact that of Covid successful New Zealand, and past with possibly 2 months to spell of the hiatus earlier starting occurrence three, the showrunners said, ‘We privation you to travel in, we privation to person a gathering with you’. And they took maine into the acceptable that Galadriel discovers successful the archetypal episode, with the orcs done the walls and Sauron’s Sigil. They took maine successful determination and they said, ‘This is your world. You’re playing Sauron.’

DEADLINE: What was your absorption erstwhile you recovered out? Were you like, I benignant of knew it oregon were you feeling like, whoa?

VICKERS: I benignant of knew. I decidedly had a feeling due to the fact that my past 2 audition speeches that I did, they had maine bash astatine the end. One was Richard III from Henry VI, Part 3. And the 2nd 1 was Paradise Lost by Milton, and it was virtually Satan. Two precise evil characters, truthful I had an inkling. Then determination were a fewer different clues, but besides I did movie my worldly connected the raft successful the 2nd episode, I filmed that without afloat knowing who I was.

DEADLINE: Knowing that you were Sauron aft you came backmost from hiatus, however did that pass your show and however did you support your character’s existent individuality a concealed throughout?

VICKERS: I deliberation it was a process. Once I recovered retired I was Sauron, I had clip to bash a batch of subconscious work. I pulled done arsenic overmuch worldly arsenic I could. So I work you know, I reread The Silmarillion and the parts truly applicable to him. I work done Tolkien’s letters. I work 1 of the installments of the past of Middle Earth called Morgoth’s Ring, which has a batch of worldly connected Sauron successful that. So I fundamentally filled up my caput with arsenic overmuch dependable arsenic I could, and I went wherever they filmed Mount Doom successful Tongariro National Park, I went for a hike determination for 4 days.

I did each that and past I benignant of conscionable fto that settee successful my subconscious. And to beryllium honest, it didn’t truly power my decision-making connected set. On the day, I was inactive precise overmuch playing it full heartedly Halbrand, arsenic I was connected the raft. I conjecture I conscionable had to anticipation that the enactment I’d done would person embedded and influenced my quality successful immoderate way.

Because the mode I similar to look astatine it is that, successful bid to deceive Galadriel, Pharazon, Merial and each these radical helium meets who are legends of lore, I deliberation helium would person to beryllium afloat invested successful this quality that helium is this quality quality of Halbrand, feeling, experiencing surviving things arsenic a human. That was utile for maine due to the fact that it simplified what I person to bash due to the fact that it’s hard to play 2 things astatine once, but I would person hoped that the undercurrent was ever there.

DEADLINE: Talk astir that affectional country with Morfydd successful the finale successful which Halbrand’s individuality is revealed and helium tries to manipulate Galadriel into joining him successful Mordor?

VICKERS: It’s a country wherever I deliberation you yet spot his existent intentions. It has a batch of worldly successful the scene. He talks to her astir healing Middle Earth, and that comes backmost to a batch of what Tolkien said astir it successful that astatine the opening of the Second Age, he’d been brought debased and helium lingered successful Middle Earth, and his powerfulness past precise dilatory reemerged.

So we spot him wrapped, fundamentally pitching his vision. And I deliberation helium wholeheartedly believes that he’s doing good. He wants to rehabilitate and escaped Middle Earth of each the wasteful friction due to the fact that he’s obsessed with order. And I deliberation helium genuinely believes that if Galadriel joins him, that’ll assistance him execute his goals. I deliberation they person a cosmic connection, but I don’t deliberation it’s needfully successful his caput a king and a queen similar hubby and woman benignant of situation. I deliberation it’s more, I tin usage you to get what I privation and intact my designs faster due to the fact that yet I deliberation helium would person ended up ruling by himself whether she joined him oregon not. And erstwhile she says ‘no’ connected the raft, it angers him. But it’s not the extremity of the satellite for him I think.

DEADLINE: How was it going backmost and filming the raft country successful finale knowing who Halbrand genuinely is?

VICKERS: The raft was precise strenuous filming and we thought we were done with it. And past close towards the extremity the show, I deliberation it was Patrick said to me, you guys are going backmost connected the raft with nary context. It’s a precise beautifully written scene, but it was a situation getting backmost connected that raft after, I think, what it had been similar 18 months.

DEADLINE: There are evident similarities, similar Halbrand and Sauron are some skilled smiths. What are immoderate of the much subtle clues astir Halbrand’s existent individuality that you arsenic an histrion dropped on the mode during the play that we whitethorn person missed?

VICKERS: I deliberation you spot him, it’s absorbing with Halbrand, due to the fact that you lone spot him done the lens of different characters. You seldom spot him alone. In fact, I deliberation you lone spot him unsocial erstwhile once he’s sitting with his pouch. And adjacent past you spot him successful conflict. And that’s absorbing due to the fact that it’s absorbing to effort and justice arsenic a viewer.

I was hoping that this would hap erstwhile creating the character. Are radical going to beryllium like, is helium genuinely repentant, is genuinely trying to beryllium a bully antheral and commencement a caller life? Or is helium conscionable manipulating his mode done it? So erstwhile you look astatine that country and you think, well, he’s conflicted, he’s conscionable by himself, he’s not showing this to anyone, you could reason that, well, possibly helium is genuinely repentant.

But I remembered making that country and thinking, successful Middle Earth, determination is ever idiosyncratic watching and the gods are watching and helium fears the gods.

So I deliberation for me, arsenic I was performing it, it was astir accentuating the subtle differences wrong that repentance and not being excessively evident with either manipulation oregon overt conflicts. Like, I truly privation to beryllium a bully man. I deliberation I tried to locomotion the line. And arsenic good arsenic that the showrunners enactment successful and the writers enactment successful immoderate truly chill small hints on the way, lines similar to Galadriel, ‘I’m atrocious astir your brother.’ Or I deliberation his 2nd enactment connected the raft is ‘Looks tin beryllium deceiving’. I had immoderate friends substance maine arsenic soon arsenic I said that enactment saying you’re Sauron. And I couldn’t archer them.

DEADLINE: Sauron is ever calculating. So wherefore did helium really rescue Galadriel?

VICKERS: I deliberation she’s endurance to him successful that moment. He’s been brought low, and helium is astatine his lowest ebb, which is truly akin to however Tolkien describes him astatine the opening of the 2nd age. He’s lingering, and precise dilatory helium comes backmost to power, and I deliberation erstwhile he’s connected the raft, you spot him astatine that bottommost point.

I’m excited to spot and reply the questions arsenic to wherefore helium was connected the raft. But I deliberation successful that nonstop moment, helium feels this cosmic transportation to this person. He spent truthful galore years alone, gathering radical that I’m not similar him, that erstwhile helium meets idiosyncratic with extreme, unthinkable power, you get a thrill, you get a unreserved and you say, I privation to beryllium with this person.

So she’s survival. But besides she tin unfastened doors. She tin get him successful the close rooms. She she knows people. And I deliberation helium sees an accidental to exploit that.

DEADLINE: Being Sauron, wherefore was Halbrand truthful reluctant to instrumentality to the Southlands and wherefore did helium effort to termination 1 of his lieutenants, Adar, earlier Galadriel stopped him?

VICKERS: I deliberation his reluctance, it tin beryllium viewed 2 ways. And it also, again, it depends whether his repentance is genuine oregon not. If he’s genuinely repentant and saying, I don’t privation to spell backmost to that, I cognize that it’s atrocious for me, the powerfulness volition corrupt maine again, and I’ll spell down a rabbit hole. And he’s saying, I conscionable privation to beryllium good, I’m atrocious and I privation to commencement fresh. That’s wherefore he’s reluctant to go, different it could beryllium a ruse to further fool Galadriel and regularisation retired the anticipation that helium could beryllium thing different than this king, this reluctant king successful her mind, overgarment a representation to her.

When helium goes and helium meets Adar, I deliberation they person a affluent past of which we volition spot much successful the future. So I don’t privation to spoil that. They person a truly analyzable relationship, and determination is simply a batch of hatred and mixed feelings betwixt them. And I deliberation that’s an illustration of Sauron wrong Halbrand being a atrocious feline and his ruthless streak of conscionable like, if I don’t similar idiosyncratic oregon person a problem, I’m going to extremity you and Galadriel saves Adar successful that situation.

DEADLINE: Throughout play one, there’s an improvement of Halbrand and Galadriel’s relationship, they saved each other’s lives, but present they’re mortal enemies. How are we going to spot that narration make successful Season 2?

VICKERS: I deliberation it’ll beryllium truly exciting. We lone person the archetypal fewer scripts of the 2nd season, truthful I don’t truly cognize precisely wherever it’s going to go, but I surely anticipation that they conscionable again. They’ve acceptable up this large narration that would hopefully beryllium capable to endure implicit 5 seasons. And erstwhile they bash meet, they person this truly affluent history. I anticipation we person a confrontation successful the adjacent season. I don’t know, but I ideate erstwhile they spot each other, it’s going to beryllium frosty, it’s going to beryllium an icy relationship.

DEADLINE: You spoke astir Halbrand arsenic Sauron talking astir healing Middle Earth. What does that mean going guardant into play two?

VICKERS: I deliberation it’s an illustration of his content successful his just motives, Tolkien writes a batch astir Sauron, that helium had bully intentions, astatine slightest astatine the beginning. And I deliberation it’s truly bully due to the fact that it sets the amusement up moving guardant to ticker his descent into existent darkness. And evidently he’s done a batch of horrible things already.

But we’re successful this repentance stage, and whether oregon not his repentance is genuine is simply a bully happening to permission unanswered. In saying healing, I deliberation helium means reorganization and rehabilitation of the satellite successful that helium volition bash immoderate it takes due to the fact that I deliberation successful his caput that’s wherefore Galadriel says ‘heal oregon rule’.

And for him I deliberation if he’s successful charge, helium tin heal the world, helium tin bid things. And I deliberation helium views it arsenic this is not going to beryllium conscionable large for me, it’s going to beryllium large for everyone else, I’m going to hole the chaos successful the Southlands, successful the East. Everyone volition acceptable unneurotic successful cleanable harmony arsenic agelong arsenic you guys fto maine archer everyone what to do.

DEADLINE: In that country by the stream, Halbrand astir kills Galadriel. He’s axenic evil. You had enactment a quality look connected him with Halbrand, a quality galore of the fans fell successful emotion with. Is helium inactive successful determination somewhere? Is determination thing bully and redeemable astir him arsenic he’s transformed into Sauron?

VICKERS: I deliberation that’s subjective, depending connected the viewer. Certainly from Halbrand’s perspective, from Sauron’s perspective, determination is simply a batch of bully successful him. He thinks that he’s doing good. I deliberation erstwhile helium takes those steps down into Mordor, his program is precise much, I’m going to bash this not to beryllium evil.

It’s to bash this for the bully of each inhabitants of Middle Earth. Whether you look astatine it from the outside, I deliberation you tin justice that helium tries to termination Galadriel. That is evil. And I deliberation Tolkien says that Sauron should beryllium thought of arsenic terrible, and I deliberation there’s nary debating the information that yet and astatine his core, Sauron is precise evil. And helium is the epitome of evil. But successful his mind, helium doesn’t judge that.

DEADLINE: Talk astir portraying that modulation into evil.

VICKERS: It was truly fun. I deliberation I tin truly retrieve that day, that Morfydd and I filmed the country down by the river, and that was the archetypal clip I truly got to acquisition that power into shedding the cloak of Halbrand and the enactment that helium says, ‘I’ve been awake since the breaking of the archetypal silence.’ That was a truly profound infinitesimal for maine due to the fact that it was like, wow, it truly gave maine a position connected conscionable however agelong this quality had been live and the things helium had seen and allowing that to settee felt to maine wholly antithetic from Halbrand. And it was similar immoderate pretense, immoderate guided rocket shield that helium had enactment up was gone.

And beneath is idiosyncratic with bully intentions. But to the viewer, astir apt rather acheronian intentions to regularisation and to dominate. And for maine arsenic an actor, I mean, it was conscionable an perfectly thrill to play it. And I’m afloat nerding retired and being capable to speech astir it for the archetypal time.

Dominic Patten contributed to this report.