Is 'The Stranger' Gandalf? TROP Creator JD Payne Spills The Beans In This EXCLUSIVE Interview | N18V

spoiler he will find out who he is this season he will reveal that I always love watching fans sort of try to figure out like sort of what we're going to put in what season because people know the legendarium that's always fun uh it's fun to see people sort of like think about the stranger and who the stranger could be and having like all the various justifications they'll have from the lore um but I mean there's tons of fers it's hard to pick a favorite like one of the parts that I found really harrowing was being in the actual ADR Booth where you're doing sound afterwards and you we said to marel we want you to scream like your Ching on Sand you know and uh you know so she screamed like I mean it was blood curdling to to hear you screaming at because it felt like you were choking and and it was like oh like it was uncomfortable to experience even in that part and then once that sound is layer against those visuals it all builds to see I think is some real power to it hi guys my name is zisha and you're watching news 18 India and today we have with us the team of rings of power uh I want to start off my questions with you uh you had visited India during the first season and you shared the uh stage with RK and tamana after the whole press conference got over I was very curious did you all get a chance to discuss possible cameos of both the actors it's a very inclusive show why not of didn't end up talking about it then but you know it's the opp to it did you discuss any other opportunities beyond the show with them for collaboration no no it was sort of a whirlwind uh trip you know we were there and and there were uh Rick Shaws and and sights and sounds and people and and it was really an amazing experience and and we loved the welcome we received it was it was just so joyous so amazing so all three of youall was there a cultural shock that you all had when you all visited India I I'm fortunate I've done quite a lot of traveling I've never been to India before though so there was definitely uh I mean the culture is so vibrant and so beautiful um and everyone I think the excitement you could just really feel the excitement and the energy from everyone the best welome and it was yeah it was just so you sort of blasted with welcome uh you know when uh I was I'd watched all the promotionals uh videos that happened during the first season I Was preparing for the second I came across uh you telling about how your roommate or your flatmate had reacted uh to the news that you know you are getting into the show how did I say how did my house may react I can't even remember now what did I say that she was just screaming and she was very excited about you getting into the yeah I can't even cuz I didn't tell anyone I was really scared to tell anyone but when I when it finally came out yeah I think she she must have been so excited yeah yeah I'm sure so that's what I wanted to ask all three of you all what was the wildest messages you all got after the season premier and you know the whole saan entrance mhm yeah um well this one was wild but this was the most heartwarming if that would uh you know be something to share um is I got a message from someone who uh told me that uh he had three children and he had read Lord of the Rings to his boys growing up and uh they hadd always loved it and he tried reading it to his daughter but she hadn't really gotten into it and then she happened to sit down and watch the pilot of our show and from the beginning she just got hooked on it and that the two of them had actually been able to sit down and watch the whole show together and that she was about to go off the university and that this was the last thing they would do as father and daughter before she colle um and he said thank you for giving me an opportunity to connect with my teenage daughter over something that we could both love and share together so lovely and I just felt like okay mission accomplished that's what the show does and brings parents together and and brings Generations together and um then like that we couldn't ask for anymore yeah what about about the f I feel like you know a couple family members watched it and really loved it I've gotten some really nice messages from people that I don't know that have really kind of connected to it but I I try and stay offline in the sense of looking too much about how people have responded I mainly just um yeah I it's mainly just feedback from friends who have seen it and it's been really lovely yeah I think um for me it's mainly been like personal interaction so for example we've just been to ComiCon um and we had a lot of uh sort of like fan meetings and seeing someone in a cosplay of a half fo it's just so you know for you know to be one example is just so heartwarming and it just means so much and that was you know you could really feel the love and connectivity within that room of you know how much I think this world and tolk's world just influences people's lives and you know that's a really really special thing you know since you mentioned fans in ComicCon what is your favorite fan theory for all three of you all I I don't know I I don't read any his smile is what's your I mean you know it's I always love watching fans sort of try to figure out like sort of what we're going to put in what season cuz people know the legendarium that's always fun uh it's fun to see people sort of like think about the stranger and who the stranger could be and having like all the various justifications they'll have from the lore um but I mean there's tons of fers it's hard to pick a favorite since you mentioned stranger I was going to ask that the biggest fan theory for gandas so what what is your take on it I have seen that one yet yeah we've noticed that one at there around um but uh I'd say what um it is is that the audience is going on the strange sorry the audience is going on the same Journey that the stranger is going on The Stranger doesn't know who he is um but he's come to Middle Earth and he knows he has a purpose um and the audience is is joining him as he figures out um what are his powers how does he control his powers why was he sent here um how is he supposed to use his powers you know who is he supposed to fight all those things and um spoiler he will find out who he is this season he will reveal that um going to be a very fun season on think people should go on the journey with him as a journey of self-discovery the name is like the cherry on top of the Sunday it's not the ice cream M ooh so my last question to all three of you all is that in the second episode there is this phenomenal scene cinematography it was brilliant where I'm not going to explain the scene but it involves a lot of wind and a lot of sand yes yes so could you tell me uh how many retakes was that like I'm sure it must have been a very difficult scene to shoot yeah well that that scene we did half in studio and half in on location the we were on wires for some of that which studio stuff yeah for the end bit for just like the but we were mainly on location yeah and that whole scene took a week to film yeah basically it was amazing excluding the studio days which was two extra days I think so yeah it's um but also because when you've got scale as well um that immediately sort of doubles the time that like a scene will take but also that scene is so long and there's so many dimensions to it too you've got to beautiful scene oh thank yeah I mean you know to the writing acting writing the way it's sh it's also funomenal it's funny the parts of things that stay with you in the process like you know I think the actual shooting it was interesting but like you one of the parts that I found really harrowing was being in the actual ADR Booth where you're doing sound afterwards and we said to marel we want you to scream like you're choking on Sand you know and uh you know so she screamed like I mean it was blood curdling to to hear your screaming and and cuz it felt like you were choking and and it was like oh like you it it's uncomfortable to experience even in that part and then once that sound is layered against those visuals it all builds to you I think is some real power to it it's so funny cuz when when I did that cuz I had the headphones on I couldn't actually hear what it sounded like to be in the room but I I I still think when I watched that scene I still think of you I like oh it's it's yeah wow all right thank you so much for talking to me and all the best for the new season thank you [Music] he [Music]