The marriage between Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur) and his wife Disa (Sophia Nomvete) helped ground Tolkien’s world in a relatable reality for newcomers. Take their introduction in the second episode of the first season, where Elrond (Robert Aramayo) came back into their lives after a 20-year-absence; fantasy lore about the long lifespan of elves was quickly reconfigured as an exploration of how to handle friendships after they disappear from your lives for years without warning.
Of course, there is very little in Durin’s saga which is directly relatable to audiences, and season two tackles the fallout from being stripped of his title by a father (Peter Mullan) still angry that he wanted to build an alliance with the elves. This season will see Durin and Disa go behind his father’s back to secure a ring they believe could protect their kingdom, and a likely return of the Balrog – but as Arthur told us, the high-concept fantasy only works because it’s grounded in a relationship you believe in.
“I think the domesticity of our relationship is an easy way into Middle-earth", he told Zavvi. “People can relate to this series through them, because they’ve seen that dynamic play out between their own parents, or their auntie and uncle – maybe even a brother and sister!
“In this season, Durin’s life has been turned upside down; he’s spent his life thinking he was going to be king, and that’s been taken from him. But I wouldn’t call it his most vulnerable moment, because he’s still got his rock – they lean on each other and rely on each other throughout the toughest times in this season.”
His co-star is even more passionate about grounding Tolkien’s world in the everyday, as by her own admission she knew very little about the lore before being cast in the series.
“I think it’s a blessing that I didn’t have that knowledge before being part of this show”, Nomvete told Zavvi. “A lot of the cast have grown up with this franchise and read the books, but an equal amount of us haven’t, and we’ve got our eyes on making sure it’s accessible.
“We don’t want to make something that’s just for the established fanbase; the creative team all feel passionate about making it accessible to those who haven’t been introduced to this world before. It’s really lovely to know that our story can give audiences an in”.
As Arthur points out, this doesn’t extend to just their relationship, but Durin’s entire arc this season. Look past the age-old rivalries between different tribes, and this season is built out from a much more conventional, approachable family drama than it may appear from the outside.
He continued: “It’s not easy to have your own father disown you – but here, that father is also the King that’s denying you the right to succeed him! The whole kingdom sees it that way too and points the finger at him.
“There’s blame being thrown his way because he brought the elf into Khazad-dûm, and Elrond being allowed in is seen as the reason why the city isn’t what it should be now. He’s effectively being blamed for why the lights have been put off.”
Prior to shooting the first season, Arthur, Nomvete and Aramayo had an entire year to rehearse the initial dinner table scene they shared together. The cast dynamic has been long baked in as we return for the second season, and the fact their arcs go to more intimate, vulnerable places is largely thanks to that early process.
“Thanks to COVID, we had a year between knowing that scene was happening and the day we finally shot it”, Nomvete explained. “That was one of the only scenes we had our eyes on at that moment, and we just endlessly rehearsed because the world was going through such a turbulent time, and doing that was like turning poison into medicine.
“We had the time to really break down everything in this amazing world we were building from the ground up, and we knew we needed to use all the time we had. The pace this time was much snappier, as we have the luxury of knowing each other so much better.
“There are some scenes that are much bigger, scenes which took days to shoot – but we didn’t have the privilege of knowing scenes an entire year in advance this time!”
Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power airs every Thursday on Amazon Prime Video.
