Even if you haven’t managed to catch an episode of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, you’re likely aware of the sheer scale of the production. It’s the wonderful world of Tolkein combined with the terrifying behemoth that is Amazon, what else would you expect?!
So, BuzzFeed attended The Rings of Power panel at New York Comic-Con to get alllll the intel on how the series was made.
🚨 Warning: Some mild spoilers for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episodes 1-7.🚨
1.
Scripts for the season finale were sent out with large portions redacted. The cast watched the first three episodes together, but are watching the others as they air — meaning that many of them don’t know how the series ends.
2.
Making the show included two years of shooting in New Zealand and one year of post-production. Throughout that time, the cast had to keep their involvement a secret.
3.
Leon Wadham, who plays Kemen, is from Wellington, New Zealand — meaning that he was in primary school while much of the original Lord of the Rings shot in his hometown.
4.
Númenor was built on a “dirt patch” at the back of the studios — and the set features plenty of things that, according to Leon, you would “only catch if you were searching for it.”
5.
It took four days to shoot the scene where Kemen attempts to burn down the boats at Armenelos’ harbor.
6.
Benjamin Walker, who plays High King Gil-galad, is apparently the most fun at a bar.
7.
He also wears a corset to play the role, but says that he “can’t complain.”
8.
Ben denied that Gil-galad is ever “mean” to Elrond.
9.
Someone called Ben “Gil-gadaddy” while he was getting coffee the day before Comic-Con.
10.
Nazanin Boniadi, who plays Bronwyn, is a big fan of the #Aronwyn fan art she’s seen.
11.
She also underwent “months and months” of stunt training before filming began.
12.
Cynthia had a “fan girl moment” when she first saw Morfydd Clark in her Galadriel armor.
13.
Sara Zwangobani, who plays Marigold Brandyfoot, said that she was “moved to tears” by Daniel’s silent performance.
14.
As for the height differences between The Stranger and the Harfoots, they’re done through forced perspective.
15.
People who had known Daniel for years didn’t recognize him as The Stranger.
16.
Finally, Season 2 is about to start shooting.
