[Warning: This story contains spoilers for The Rings of Power season one finale.]
you knew it Right? Or did you at least guess that the would-be king of the southerners was actually Sauron in disguise all along? Halbrand was introduced at the beginning of Prime Video’s second episode “The Rings of Power” (emerging from the mist on a raft with protruding planks designed to look like Sauron’s helmet). Identity as a wandering Aragorn-like king actually hid a much darker past. Below, British actor Charlie Vickers (Palm Beach) talks about his dual identity role, how some of Halbrand’s seemingly non-Sauron-like moves make sense, and what’s next for the character.
when did you know
I didn’t really know until the beginning of the third episode. We shot the first two episodes and then the show went on hiatus due to COVID. Towards the end of the break, the showrunners sat down with me and told me. I filmed this sequence on the raft without knowing it. I filmed it entirely as a semi-rim. But I had a hunch, if I’m being honest with you. My last two auditions [were reading lines from] Richard III and we know he’s not the greatest in the world. And then the other [audition lines were] from Paradise Lost where you literally give the speech as Satan. That gave me an idea that something was going on. So I was definitely suspicious, but it wasn’t confirmed until we started filming episode three.
I think that will make people want to revisit all of his scenes, so I want to walk you through the character’s journey. What do you mean by his introduction on this raft? Did he go there to meet Galadriel, or was their meeting, as she puts it, arranged by a higher power?
Well I know that. But I think this question is best left unanswered. Because we’re finding out that backstory [in season two]. This question will be answered in time.
When I rewatched the early episodes with the idea that Halbrand was Sauron, it became almost wonderfully obvious – there are so many clues. Which was your favourite?
There are some funny spots. My second line on the raft is “appearances can be deceiving”. Which I didn’t realize at the time because I didn’t know I was playing Sauron! But looking back, I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s all there.’ And then, as I step into Númenor and I stop at the forge, I think there was a moment where fans who really know the lore, the Alarm bells rang.
One thing that kept some fans from believing Halbrand could be Sauron was that it’s hard to imagine that the Dark Lord really wanted to work as an apprentice blacksmith in Númenor. What was the thought behind this scene?
He is a blacksmith. He knows the craft of forging inside and out. You must imagine where we meet Sauron during his repentance period. Tolkien says quite clearly in The Silmarillion that he is remorseful – if not out of fear. So the question is not whether he was repentant, but whether that remorse was genuine. He was humiliated. He was humiliated, almost humiliated. So when you see him floating on a raft, it’s basically as low as it gets. Tolkien speaks of Sauron reappearing and that he lingered in Middle-earth for a long time and very slowly came back to power. Those are the words he used. And I think that’s why he’s looking for a job there, because he’s looking for a way back. It’s really interesting to think about its reconstruction. He rebuilds many times throughout Arda’s history. This is an example.
Because I’m thinking, “Well, why would the second greatest Tolkien villain, in terms of power, why would he get a job as a blacksmith in Númenor?” If his remorse is real, then he seeks a new life and tries to really pretend to run away from evil. But if his remorse isn’t sincere, if he’s faking it, then maybe it’s a tactic he can use to buy some time and keep himself looking busy in Númenor while he waits for things to unfold. You can look at it both ways. I have an answer for myself that I used while playing the character. But I think it’s interesting to leave it ambiguous and let people interpret it however they want.
Someone close to the show pointed out that Sauron the Deceiver actually never actually lies outright in his Season 1 dialogue. Is that your understanding too?
It’s true. I find it interesting because he is this imposter and in order to ultimately deceive he has to fully embody this form he has taken. To be convincing for someone like Galadriel, he has to be totally immersed in what he’s doing, which for me was totally immersed in the character of Halbrand. But all of Sauron’s unconscious work is back there. But yeah, he says one line, I believe in episode five: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry about everything. I’m sorry about your brother.” Which is true. It’s just that Galadriel doesn’t see what she needs to see. She does not see the truth of this statement.
I liked how he basically said exactly what Sauron is going to do with the rings, giving it to Galadriel as advice – “Identify what your opponent fears most… and give him a means of mastering it, with it.” You can master it.” Also as he warns her against bringing him back to Middle-earth, he says, “I’ve been searching for my peace longer than you think. Please, for the sake of both of us, let me keep it.” The latter does as a semirim not even sense. For her sake why should it be better if he stays in Númenor? It only works if he is Sauron.
Exactly!
He says in the finale that he wants Galadriel to be his queen. Is there real attraction and Interest, or was it just a power play?
I just see it as a power play. Any attraction or interest in her arises through this cosmic connection. He’s been there a long time and so has she. It’s not often that he meets someone close to his level. That must have been exciting and thrilling for him. But if he proposes that to her, it all comes down to his fear or hope for personal gain — that’s what she is to him at that moment. She is a means for him to return to power with her by his side. That will be more effective in the short term, but I think in the long term he won’t be happy unless he’s in power and alone.
What kind of world does he envision when he says he wants to heal Middle-earth? Just as we associate Sauron with darkness and a volcano, but he enthusiastically called Númenor a paradise and seemed intent on staying there.
I think he values beauty with all his heart. And I think his goal was to create an independent paradise separate from Valinor to annoy the gods because he hates and fears the gods so much. It’s about rehabilitation and rehabilitation. Tolkien speaks of wanting to rid Middle-earth of wasteful friction. If you look at the state of the world, look at the southern lands and the scattered tribes and warring factions, it’s all a mess. In his opinion, the healing of Middle-earth reorganizes everything and with him as sole ruler. It develops the beauty and wonder and majesty of Middle-earth, but it all needs to be really structured and organized. The only way to please him is if he’s in charge and can arrange things exactly how he wants.
For season two, the showrunners have told me that the season is very Sauron focused, that he’s going to be very traveling, operating and manipulating. What can you do to your character in the next season?
I think it’s a really exciting season because you start to see Sauron for who he is. We have seen him in this time of repentance. We will enter this phase where we will watch his plans unfold. You are there when he moves the pieces on the chessboard. There are parts of the lore that are so rich and so thrilling and thrilling and things that I loved reading about in The Silmarillion that we’ll see. These truly famous stories will unfold in the next season.
Finally, actors in genre shows and films often have to keep secrets. But this was a pretty big deal that included heavy speculation. Did you have any difficult moments where you didn’t spill that along the way?
Since the first episode aired, friends have said to me, “You are Sauron.” These are some of my closest friends and I had to let them down or just send them down a different path. I’ve had people speculating that I’m the Witch King or the King of the Dead. I’ve had people show me pictures of the King of the Dead, who’s literally a skeleton, and put it next to my face and say, “You look just like this guy.” Even around cast members when I first met found out about [Galadriel actress Morfydd Clark] was the only one I could say. So it’s a relief to be able to share it.