Charlie Vickers on 'LOTR' character Halbrand's reveal as Sauron: It was relief more than anything

NEW DELHI: Actor Charlie Vickers says he strongly suspected that Halbrand, his character in the first season of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power", was the villainous Sauron and when it was confirmed, he felt a sense of relief.

The Prime Video series is based on the appendices of Tolkien's famed book series, specifically the description of Middle Earth's Second Age, and includes younger versions of some of the key characters from the books, which were earlier translated for the screen by Peter Jackson in two trilogies -- "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit".

The first season, which came out in 2022, saw Vickers as Halbrand, a mysterious man who forms an alliance with Galadriel, the elven warrior, and helps her fight the evil forces. But towards the end of the season, Halbrand is actually revealed as the Dark Lord Sauron in disguise.

"There was a level of pressure, but it was more relief because by that point I'd had an inkling that I was playing Sauron but I hadn't had it confirmed by anyone," the Australian actor told PTI in an interview.

"So when the showrunners sat me down and told me that I was Sauron, I was like, 'Oh, well thank God.' All the research that I've been doing has been worth it. So yeah, it was a relief more than anything," he added.

In season two, currently streaming on Prime Video, Sauron sees himself banished and without any allies or army. He aims to regain power and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will enable him to subjugate the people of Middle Earth.

Sauron is considered one of the greatest literary villains of all time but the character's physical appearance was never described in detail by Tolkien in his books. He appeared mostly as a spirit being and a shapeshifter over the ages.

Asked what were his references for playing the character, Vickers said it was all from the author's books as well as the 1977 book "The Silmarillion", which was a collection of stories that preceded the events of Tolkien's work.

"It was all stories from 'The Silmarillion', the letters that Tolkien had written. And there's different parts of the trilogy and the Hobbit. The thing I particularly focused on was the two chapters at the end of 'The Silmarillion', about the Rings of Power. And they kind of give you an idea of what Sauron was like during this time period and what Tolkien imagined him to be and where he fits into this story."

Besides Halbrand, Sauron takes on a new identity in season two -- Annatar, the "Lord of gifts" -- in order to deceive Celebrimbor, the Elven-smith, into creating the Rings of Power.

The actor said there isn't a huge physical transformation but there is a drastic internal transformation as he becomes Sauron.

"There are three distinct personalities, but they have to have the same connection to the core of the character. The only difference between them is the timeline. I think they're always going to connect to Sauron's need, to heal and save Middle earth.

"And it's just that each of them serves a purpose. Halbrand provided Galadriel with something that she needed. And in turn, Sauron was led to the right part of Middle earth at the right time. And then the same thing, Annatar with Celebrimbor. But you'll watch as the season goes on, Annatar kind of fades away and he transforms."

According to Vickers, Tolkien is an example of how storytelling can be an "enduring force for good forever". The author's works will always be timeless, he added.

"I feel 50 years ago, we knew these stories were really powerful for people and such is the nature of what he wrote that people will always connect to it even in 100 or 150 years in the future. That's the power of storytelling and something that I've learned from reading a lot of Tolkien since doing this."

Charles Edwards, who reprises his role of Celebrimbor from the first season, said Tolkien's stories will always be "highly relevant".

"It's timeless and also such is the nature of life that it's cyclical and wars will happen again and evil will happen again. So, he will always be relevant," he said.

Edwards acknowledged that fans of the show have compared Celebrimbor with American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who is considered the father of the atom bomb.

"It's a comparison that's been made quite a lot and I hadn't thought of it but I do like the comparison because there is a comparison.

"It's toying with stuff you think you understand, but you don't know how it's going to all come together. You don't know what effect it's going to have. It's a very good comparison," he said.

Though Celebrimbor is determined to create something that will help all of Middle Earth, Edwards said the character's intentions become a bit muddled into season two.

"When he joins forces with Annatar at the beginning of the season, their apparent mutual intention is to do good. He takes a bit of persuading, Celebrimbor does, but ultimately he gets on board. And there's a part, where he doesn't become merely a puppet to Annatar.

"There's a power struggle between the two of them because they each want something that the other has. They need each other. So that's also very interesting in the dynamic of the relationship. But as we go further into the season, it becomes a little more confused," he added.

Edwards revealed that "The Lord of the Rings" has had a profound effect on his life. The actor remembers watching the 1978 animated movie "The Lord of the Rings", directed by legendary animator Ralph Bakshi.

"It was a seminal moment for me, this film and this story. I think I knew I wanted to be an actor somewhere but all those characters and worlds that I found in that film were very inspirational for me in wanting to try to be an actor as well.

"At that stage of my life, it informed a lot about what I wanted to do and I don't think that's an understatement," he said.