This has certainly been an explosive instalment for Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
The sixth episode of the Prime Video series, titled Udûn, saw an epic war explode in the Southlands as the corrupted elf (or Uruk) named Adar (Joseph Mawle) sought to transform the land into a realm for himself and his “children”, the monstrous Orcs.
Speaking with RadioTimes.com, actress Morfydd Clark discussed the dramatic confrontation that occurred between Galadriel and Adar later in the episode.
“Well, it’s very uncomfortable to be truly seen by someone you despise,” comments Clark, “which is what Galadriel was experiencing there. It was really exciting for me…there are lots of like little nuggets of lore in that as well, kind of to her family and like the damage that they did, but also to kind of how elves hold a lot of power and can do a lot of damage with it…and so I thought that was really interesting.
“I think that the lateral could never fathom that the person that would kind of leave her speechless would be Adar and so it was really fun to kind of play someone who is really shaken, vulnerable.”
Of course, the sixth episode concludes with a dramatic cliffhanger as Adar’s schemes trigger a volcanic eruption in the Southlands and Galadriel ends the episode engulfed by the disaster.
However, what was Clark herself seeing when filming the standout moment? Well, something akin to a real mountain.
The Saint Maud star described: “Yeah, it wasn’t like a mountain…you could see something you’d be like, what can be a mountain with me? But we did actually have all those explosions going on around us. So you did feel kind of chaos happening and also just even without the explosions for Galadriel, she’s kind of frozen in kind of defeat, despair, and regret at that point. But having just people running at you screaming is quite alarming.”
She added: “It was a day where lots of the work was done for you, because we had, like, hundreds of supporting actors making it all come true.”
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Another part of the moment that impressed Clark was the science behind the devastating volcanic eruption in the Southlands – that a large amount of water could trigger this.
“It was really kind of fun – that I love – I didn’t realise that volcanoes erupted like that, but it’s actually true,” said Clark.
On the whole, the sixth instalment was a landmark moment for the series and one that was personally satisfying for Clark too.
The Swedish-born Welsh actress revealed: “It was so much fun and I think also, you know when you’re starting a new series, a lot of it is kind of setting up world building, getting to know the characters. And this one really felt like the kind of payoff to that, but also for us as actors, because we were getting to film with each other. And like, this was the time where there were the most people on set, all these different worlds colliding and it was just amazing.”
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The actress noted: “It’s amazing watching people be able to organise chaos because at times there were so many people that were seen killing each other.
“It was also the time that we had the most Orcs actually on set in full prosthetics, which was just a sight to behold.”
Clark concluded: “I just couldn’t believe kind of how intense it was going to be and all of [director Charlotte Charlotte Brändström’s] ideas and now seeing it and being like, ‘Ah, she pulled it off.’”
Well, the big moment certainly paid off and fans can’t wait to see where the series picks up from that cliffhanger.
Read more on The Rings of Power:
- Rings of Power release schedule: When are Lord of the Rings episodes out?
- How to watch The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies in order
- Who plays Sauron in The Rings of Power? Theories on Lord of the Rings villain
- Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power review – Dazzling prequel doesn’t let Tolkien fans down
- What is Valinor in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
- Who is Morgoth in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
- Who is Galadriel’s brother? Meet Finrod actor Will Fletcher
- Who is Elrond actor Robert Aramayo in The Rings of Power?
- What is the Second Age of Middle-earth? Rings of Power timeline explained
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered on Amazon Prime Video on Friday 2nd September 2022 – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days. If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub.
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