Charlie Vickers Talks Annatar and Celebrimbor in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2 [Interview]

Annatar, better known as Sauron, is one of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2’s most manipulative personas the Dark Lord has taken up, and it’s clear to see why. Charlie Vickers knows that Annatar is unlike anything Halbrand could ever be, thanks to his once refined position as Celebrimbor’s “aide.”

I recently talked with Vickers about the inner workings of Annatar’s deceptive plan in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, the most emotional moments about Annatar’s relationship with Celebrimbor and Mirdania, and some interesting character design choices.

Speaking about Annatar continuously manipulating Celebrimbor to make the Nine Rings of Men, Vickers spoke on a specific moment that truly presented Annatar hurting Celebrimbor the most.

“I think the thing that hurts him the most is when [Celebrimbor] sees his city crumbling around him, and I was really, really moved,” Vickers began. “I saw that for the first time last night [on September 24] when he throws the hammer at me, and then the whole facade drops, and he walks onto the balcony and sees that the city is burning.”

“I was incredibly moved by Charlie’s [Charles Edwards] performance, and I think that’s when he realizes everything he’s built, his whole life, is collapsing in front of him and Sauron reveals himself.”

“I think it’s an amazing device that the showrunners created, and it was a real pleasure to watch,” Vickers recalled.

While Vickers did get to work more closely with Edwards, given Annatar’s role in J. R. R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien’s works, he ended up with fewer scenes with Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel. Some fans had hoped that there would be a bit more flashbacks with Galadriel and Halbrand, and Vickers seems to resonate with those petitions.

Watch the full interview with Charlie Vickers:

“It’s always sad [because] we’re really close friends,” Vickers started. “It made it more special when we came back together at the end of the season to film that sequence because it was like, ‘Okay, this is where your character is now, and the same for me!'”

“They’re coming back together and having this face-off. I don’t know if it will be the last time [we’ll get together], but it was a grueling couple of weeks of filming with a lot of preparation.”

“Equally, I had an amazing time with Charlie this season, and it was an equally special experience,” Vickers said.

Though Vickers may have had fewer scenes to film with Clark in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, Sauron’s interactions with Galadriel in the past definitely had an impact on the other relationships he formed with other characters.

Specifically, throughout the season, Annatar closely bonded with Mirdania, Celebrimbor’s assistant. One moment on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 5, “Halls of Stone,” saw Annatar comforting Mirdania after witnessing the Unseen World through a makeshift Ring.

Speaking about this dynamic, Vickers made an intriguing analysis of Sauron’s relationship with Mirdania versus his bond to Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 1.

“I think there might be a part of him that misses the idea,” Vickers stated. “I don’t think she would’ve been by his side. She would’ve been beneath him, but he could’ve used her, and I think that is the thing that he potentially misses.”

“He could’ve had her on his side, but kind of at his mercy at the same time and be used as a tool to manipulate.”

“With Mirdania, I think that Mirdania is a reminder of that, but I kind of see it more as manipulation. He’s manipulating her to try and get what he wants in that moment,” Vickers finished.

One other aspect of Annatar that really seemed to pique fan excitement was the stylish addition of the character’s hair bow. While Annatar has undergone multiple outfit changes to represent his change in character, his hair bow has always been there no matter what.

Vickers quickly explained how Annatar’s hair bow became part of his character in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2.

“I think [Flora Moody], our make-up designer, was just like, ‘I’m just gonna make this into a bow back here, there’s nothing else I can do with this!’ I don’t know if [the bow’s] gonna last in the future, but who knows? We’ll see,” Vickers joked.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 is now streaming on Prime Video.

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