Editor's note: The below interview contains spoilers for Episode 7 of The Rings of Power.
From showrunners JD Payne & Patrick McKay, the Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth’s history, thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and at a time when the Dark Lord Sauron, believed by all to have been defeated, is quietly planning his comeback. Following an ensemble cast of characters consisting of both familiar faces (like Galadriel and Elrond) as well as newcomers (the Harfoots, the Stranger, and Halbrand, to name a few), the first season, which consists of a total of eight episodes, is gearing up to air its finale later this week.
With more show on the horizon (the series has already been renewed for a second season which is currently in production), Collider had the opportunity to speak with Tyroe Muhafidin, who plays Southlander and son of Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), Theo. On the heels of Episode 7, "The Eye," dropping on Prime Video, Muhafidin discussed his character's most pivotal moments — including what it was like for Theo to team up with Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and how he and Clark bonded in between filming, how Theo's relationship with Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) has grown since the first episode, and what Theo's mindset about his destiny is heading into not just the finale but beyond.
Collider: One of the things that was really great about the episode is how a lot of different characters are finally coming together, characters that we haven't seen team up or pair off with each other before. For Theo, getting to have some one-on-one time with Galadriel was probably pretty cool. How was it to get to work with Morfydd from an acting standpoint?
TYROE MUHAFIDIN: Me and Morfydd have almost the exact same method when it comes to acting. We're very much both kind of a switch in, switch out. We would have conversations about anything and everything. So there's the scene where we're under the tree log and Theo's on the brink of tears, and it's really, really deep. I remember literally we were filming that and as soon as Charlotte [Brändström] yelled "Cut," the first thing I turned and said to her was, "So what's your favorite soda?" And then we just started chatting like normal. It was really, really cool because we both would just flick into character when we needed to flick into character. We also just got along really well. She's the most lovely person, so sweet, so genuine, and it was really great to be surrounded by someone so grounded. Yeah.
There's a really funny moment in the episode prior where Theo sees her in battle for the first time, and Arondir is with him, and they both have a bit of a fanboy moment over her, which is very relatable. Do you feel like he still has that mindset after having one on one time with her, or does she feel more accessible in a way, like she's less of that imposing, intimidating figure and more someone that he understands?
MUHAFIDIN: It's a bit of both. Because of what he saw of her in Episode 6, when he calls her a soldier, it just means all the much more. It's everything that she does say to him, because of that impact she had on him in the first place. This has widened his perspective on Middle-earth itself and the wider scope of things and that the Elves aren't that bad. They're pretty cool. It also gives him something to strive to be like, because he wants to be a warrior, and he wants to fight, and he's got one of the greatest fighters in front of him. I think he almost is looking for a mentor.
Theo admits that he's still holding onto guilt, feeling like he's to blame, or he had a role in what happened. Galadriel is very quick to reassure him to not blame himself. Do you think that he's able to let go of that weight, or is he still holding onto it a little?
MUHAFIDIN: It helps him move past it in that instance, but I think it would take a whole lot more to be able to completely alleviate that guilt — because, ultimately, he was the one who handed [the hilt] to Adar. He was the one who found it in the first place. Maybe if he never found it, it all still would've happened. But ultimately that feeling of, "I've just caused a volcano to erupt, I've just caused my hometown to be destroyed, and I've just caused all my friends and my family to die," it would take a lot more than just a conversation with Galadriel to alleviate that feeling. At the same time, it helps him find ways to move past the feeling and find a way to reason with it and get comfortable with that feeling almost to be able to put it aside.
I felt for him, though, in the scene where at least twice, he's not sure if someone is his mom or not.
MUHAFIDIN: It's a triple [fakeout]... Because when he is walking into the tent as well, there are people over a dead body also.
Yeah, you're right. The reunion between them is really lovely, but I was actually struck by his reunion with Arondir as well because the hug really signifies how far those two have come since the beginning of the season. How do you feel like the events that have happened have changed Theo's perspective of him and their relationship as a whole?
MUHAFIDIN: When we first meet Theo, he is completely against the Elves, and he believes that elders are against them as well, so he sees it as very much a clash. But after Arondir saves him in the pigpen from the Orc, that moment is when Theo realizes, "They're not here to be against us. They're here for us and they're here to protect us." To be able to trust him when he gives him the hilt was another big move for Theo. In that instance, it didn't really matter who it was. He just needed to tell someone of authority that he had this hilt, and it so happened to be Arondir. Because it was Arondir, there was a chance there to make a connection and to make a little bond.
Arondir has gained Theo's trust, and when Arondir hands Theo back the hilt, even though it wasn't a hilt, and it was just an axe, it's still in that moment that Theo realizes that Arondir trusts him as well. They're meeting in a common ground, which is Bronwyn, but they're creating their own bond. And then obviously the volcano erupts, and right before that happens, his last conversation was with Arondir, so when he does see him, it's a relief.
At the end of the episode, Galadriel gives Theo a sword, which seems pretty badass. What do you think his perspective is on his destiny and the role that he's meant for? How is this going to carry on into the finale and then potentially into Season 2?
MUHAFIDIN: He's just been surrounded by so many role models. He's just watched all those Numenoreans, soldiers. He's just watched Arondir with all his fighting. He's watched Galadriel, he's watched Halbrand, and he's watched all these people around him fighting, and he wasn't allowed to really be a part of it. He was itching for it, so for him to get that green light from Galadriel, who was arguably the best fighter in that battle, that green light would mean a lot to him. That just sets his head straight, and he knows what he wants now, and he definitely, definitely now wants to be like those people he saw. He wants to be like those role models, and I think he's going to strive for it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere its first season finale this Friday on Prime Video. Muhafidin's first single, "In Honesty (It's Cold Outside)," will be released October 21.