SPOILER ALERT: This text contains spoilers for episode 7 of the second season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”, now available on Prime Video.
It’s an all-out battle in Central Earth, with orcs and elves fighting each other.
The Siege of Eregion continues in Episode 7 of “Rings of Energy,” as Adar’s (Sam Hazeldine) forces breach the fortress’s walls and attack the elven stronghold. A band of lethal and disgusting orcs ravage the city, but Elrond (Robert Aramayo) has a plan to prevent destruction: summoning dwarven reinforcements led by Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur). However, the dwarves are nowhere to be found by the end of the episode, as King Durin III (Peter Mullan) has been corrupted and brainwashed by his ring of energy.
Unfortunately, the elf who is having the worst day of all is Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). He finally realizes the truth about Sauron (Charlie Vickers) and sees through the dark lord’s disguise as Annatar, but the damage is done. Celebrimbor has made all the rings of power on Sauron’s orders, and the master smith decides to mutilate his own fingers so that he can no longer make any more dangerous jewelry.
Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) shows up to save the day and helps free Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) from Adar’s orc camp. She shares a kiss with Elrond before they join the elven army in Eregion. In a team of tough elves, Arondir and Elrond take down a large hill troll that stomps across the battlefield. Before Arondir can defeat any more orcs, however, he encounters Adar in the skirmish and fights him one-on-one. Adar proves to have the upper hand and defeats Arondir before transferring to Elrond and taking his ring of power. The episode ends with a dark word, teasing much more destruction to come.
With SelectionCórdova discusses the extreme physical training he underwent this season to play Arondir, breaks down his troll fight scene, and teases that season 3 is already in the works.
Arondir does a lot more flipping, preventing and killing orcs this season. How has his training changed since Season 1?
All the wirework and every little thing you see in the present, that’s me. I only have a little bit of a stunt that I have a stunt double for, as a result of which it was supposed to be a take and we had to cut it — but the rest of it is me. I figured all that out in the first season and got really good at wirework. They’re really complicated. In Eregion, I’m actually up there on that high wall and I jump. Those are stunt doubles! I had to practice a lot on energy, martial arts and choreography. I was also trying to change the feel of the movement a little bit to show a little bit more of his anger and sadness.
You practice sword fighting and archery — have you also studied horse riding this season?
I did horse riding. I don’t think I’ll be able to travel this season on camera, but I did, like, two months. There was one episode, I think it was the sixth one, where I just open up running through the forest. That was horse riding, so I trained for that. I can’t remember how we came up with it, but he just runs. It’s the forest and the elves run really fast and for a long time. It didn’t make sense for him to be on a horse, but I practiced, and I loved it so much. I figured out that I wasn’t going to ride horse riding before they stopped the courses. I just kept going very quietly.
Is there any training you haven’t done yet that you’d like to try?
I haven’t done any stunts. I’m just kind of interested in it. I have experience holding my breath underwater, but I haven’t done anything big underwater that I’d like to do. I have no real interest in jumping out of any kind of plane — zero, absolutely none. Or walking through fire — I’m fine. I’m extremely focused on the choreography of all of that. I need to get really good at my lines when I’m doing martial arts, as well as my sword speed, which I started working on this season when I’m cutting up orcs really well. Something! In fact, I’m going to keep going and going. I’m an expert in 16th century calligraphy, and I figured out the best way to make my own quills and paper for this different challenge. On the last movie I did, I figured out the best way to play a full track on the violin. I’m that guy.
There aren’t many vehicles or planes in Central Earth, so you’re probably safe there. However, Arondir should play a violin track sooner or later!
That could be cool. I would like to sing in the present. There’s a lot of writing about elven singing, and we see that with Gil-galad. I feel like it’s always really cool for Arondir to do a little bit of that stuff, because it shows you that distinction and the distinction between the types of elves. He’s not a royal, rich, or city man. He’s a tough, tough warrior poet, covering every wrong that comes from the capital, mostly. He’s the one who’s like, “Okay, I’m going to stop now, and I’m going to stop, and I’m going to stop.”
With the hill troll fight scene, how much of the monster was realistic compared to CGI?
There was this giant building that had all these mats around it, nets and chains. I jump up and grab it, and knock it down. They had two huge fingers and just a small part of it on the back, so we interacted with that as well. We saw the sketches, so we all know what it looked like, and the battle itself was so realistic with so many orcs. You really felt like that troll was there.
There are so many orcs and elves working on the battlefield of Eregion — how chaotic was the set?
The power is there; I really feel so immersed. There’s fire, the huge wall of Eregion was built, it was so muddy. The landings are totally different. Whenever you land there, the mud just sucks you in. There are people working around you. So while you’re doing the choreography and also studying it in certain directions, you’re totally disoriented. Everyone has to be exact. There are so many swords floating around. It can be overwhelming, but I find it exhilarating. I absolutely love that kind of thing. For me, having Elrond and Gil-galad around, these heavy hitters in the elven world, I felt like one of the guys.
How was your fight with Adar? After killing the troll and a few orcs, I expected Arondir to defeat him one-on-one.
As the battles go on, he gets a little bit more reckless. That recklessness, that’s the mistake I made. I get tremendously emotional. It allows Adar to get to me. In any other case, Arondir would have been able to fight him on equal terms. We’d like to find the flaw. You see Arondir do all these cool things; you just saw him help kill a troll. There’s no excuse for him not being able to have a pretty even battle with this villain, unless he lets it go. His posture changes completely, and in that little weak spot, Adar is aware of it precisely. He’s breaking me and breaking me, and we needed to find that moment.
There hasn’t been an official renewal, but have you mentioned season 3 or seen any scripts?
As far as I know, they’ve kind of stated that we’re going for a third one. I haven’t seen any script, though. I’d like to see it. However, I’m pretty positive that we’re going for a third one.
This interview has been edited and condensed.