Rings of Power Interview: JD Payne on the Dune 2 effect, Markella and Megan's friendship | LOTR

toing tells us that there was a friendship between the dwarves and the elves and then there was a closeness that existed between those two people um that was um closer than any other time in all of middle Earth's history so we really felt like we wanted to capture that uh that sort of specialness of of um you know that time period I am the one keeping the Storm at Bay Salon is my enemy as much as yours I can help you destroy him J One Thing I really noticed I don't know if you actually thought about it this way that there is a little bit of similarity with what I saw happening a few months ago with Dune 2 because both of these uh uh shows and the film comes from a text that is very thick and low that requires a lot of setup in the first part MH thank and now when the second part comes along there is actual payoff mhm do you think uh that is what is happening with rings of power as well well I think by nature of where we are in the franchise um that's just chapter two of a story you will be uh further into it you'll know more of the characters you know more what's going on and you can just sort of start with a bang um we did a lot of uh setting of The chessboard season one introducing people to the second age of Middle Earth bringing a lot of different uh characters and worlds uh into people's attention um and then you had some big things and reveals happen the end of season 1 um but now really saon has taken control of the narrative um and once he takes control he never lets go yeah think things Mo move so much quicker in the second season and it was really really fun to watch amazing and uh uh there is a scene in the first uh first or second episode when poppy comes along and uh she makes sure that her friend doesn't go into the danger alone and it really reminded me of that scene when Sam wise gamji Waits through water to make sure that fro doesn't go into M alone it's it's a very beautiful parallel and you guys bring the warmth that is sometimes really What We crave from through the season I want to know did that friendship of sticking with your friend not letting go of them uh really translate into your uh personal life as well relationship with each other yeah I mean we it's so lovely to be able to work with someone who you really get on with very well in real life I think when we first met there was like instant chemistry and you know we've sort of been hanging out ever since it's really yeah it's really lovely and uh Jeri um one question that I have is that people were really apprehensive about how will uh Charlie look in a different uh um you know as the fair form of uh Anar so uh was there ever any discussion that maybe we should get another actor or or was it always the idea that he should be the one in that blonde hair and yes yeah all that it would be him um and we did uh various look developments in terms of looking at exactly how we wanted to execute it uh with the hair and with the makeup with the the costume um but uh eventually landed on that and we feel he looks fantastic and it's fun to watch him sort of over the course of the Season cuz his outfits and and costume sort of reflects the uh character as uh he becomes more openly dark throughout the the season watch his costumes because that reflects some of the changes that are going on in him and the relationship with Kell what a great detail that's so amazing yeah it's fun it's fun yeah it doesn't really when you first see him in the trailer you really realize that is he the same actor actually it's not really the Clark end phenomenon happening it's a putting on glasses and then fooling everyone know he does look very different yeah to test with his abilities as an actor he's he's quite quite talented and uh do you guys uh uh when you were shooting in that desert it really looked like a treacherous terrain what was it like shooting those segments this time I mean it definitely wasn't as terrifying as it looks on screen I feel like that is for sure just curated through the amazing VFX and and also the way it was shot but uh it was beautiful it really was an amazing time we shot in tenie and uh we were there for a while so we really got to explore but I think it really helped at least me portraying Nori nor has never been as exposed as she is this season like just geographically she's not with her family so and they're normally very kind of discreet in regards to where they are location wise so it was interesting for me having never been to ten as well just channeling the kind of openness and the Curiosity being in in somewhere new um into kind of nory's Journey as well just being completely unlearned terrain yeah um my last question um in this uh series we have seen a two parallels that bring really big warmth factor into the story one is that uh elron and uh joran who reminded me of uh maybe Legolas and gim from the movies and then both of you as Frodo and Sam was that intentional to make sure that those relationships come along and are also reflected in this c as with um I mean certainly we you know look at all of toin to see what kinds of relationships exist uh you in in his stories um butd said like the El Ur one specifically comes from the idea that in the second age uh toen tells us that there was a friendship between the dwares and the elves and then there's a closeness that existed between those two people um that was um closer than any other time in all of middle Earth's history so we really felt like we wanted to capture that uh that sort of specialness of of um that time period and it certainly also Echoes Lego L gim as well and and that's an iconic relationship that I think is is uh makes sense to point to and then froto and Sam I mean you know in as much as they're they're halflings and they're friends sure I guess that makes sense I think it's a different kind of um you know relationship uh Sam is froto Gardener um which is sort of a different kind of relationship in some ways poppy is more like an adopted sister um for for Nori and she balance yeah she sort of has lost her her family and and uh you know has has you know become first a friend and then you know again almost a family member for for Nori and and the Brandy foot family so it's slightly different but like in as much as their halflings and their friends definitely you can draw that parallel [Music]