Sauron speaks! That Rings of Power actor opens up about the big finale reveal

Devan Coggan
·12 min read
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Warning: This story contains spoilers for the season 1 finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The Dark Lord is returning to his dark throne.

All season long, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has teased the return of evil to Middle-earth. Ever since Amazon first announced that the show would take place during J.R.R. Tolkien's Second Age, fans have waited for the appearance of Sauron, the iconic villain who forged the One Ring and ruled Mordor with an iron-gloved fist.

Given Sauron's ability to disguise himself in plain sight, fan theories quickly ran wild: Was he the cryptic Stranger who fell from the sky? What about the mysterious Adar and his band of loyal orcs? Perhaps we hadn't even met him yet — or perhaps he was lurking in the wings, ready to sow discord and plot his rise to power.

The season 1 finale ultimately answers that question: The Rings of Power reveals that Sauron is Halbrand, the Southlander castaway played by Charlie Vickers. The audience learns his true identity at the same time Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) does. She discovers that the man who saved her life — and the man she's been pushing to reinstate as the king of the Southlands — is actually her greatest enemy in disguise. Not only has she brought him back to Middle-earth, but he quickly ingratiates himself with elves like Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), encouraging them to forge those titular Rings of Power.

EW spoke to Vickers just before the finale's premiere, where the Australian actor opened up about playing one of fantasy's greatest villains — and how he kept Halbrand's identity a secret, even from his own costars.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Prime Video Sauron reigns in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Take me back to when you were first cast in the show. Did the showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay sit you down and say, "Okay, so you're playing Sauron"?

CHARLIE VICKERS: No! I had maybe six or seven auditions, and when I got to the end of the audition process, they gave me two monologues. They gave me a monologue from Richard III at the end, when he's standing over a body and is basically being really evil. Then, the other one was from Paradise Lost, the poem by Milton, and it was literally Satan. So I had an inkling when I was doing those speeches that the character had some kind of a dark arc. [Laughs] But it wasn't until after our hiatus. We filmed the first two episodes, and then we went on hiatus because of COVID. That whole time I thought I was playing Halbrand, a human from a Southlands, which, I think, I was.

But then, the guys sat me down right before we started filming the third episode, and they said to me, "There's more to this. You're playing Sauron." By that point, because of my audition material and a few other things, I had an inkling. But it was nice to get it properly confirmed.

Did your fellow castmates know your true identity, or was that kept secret?

No, no one knew! I think Morfydd [Clark] knew because she was my scene partner. That's an interesting thing about Halbrand, that you really only see him through the eyes of other characters. They play a very important role in how the audience sees him and how the audience sees Sauron. So Morfydd knew, but no one else knew. I've been holding it in. Obviously, by the end of the season, a lot more people knew. Now, I think, the whole cast knows. But it's going to be nice that we'll be able to share it with everyone else soon.

That's fascinating that you filmed the first few episodes without knowing his true identity. Throughout the season, we've watched as Halbrand has gone on an almost redemptive journey, and at times, he appears to be seeking peace or even forgiveness. Do you think there's some truth in that, or is that all a smokescreen?

I think it's fascinating to look at. It's interesting because Tolkien speaks of Sauron as repentant. He quite clearly says that he is repentant, and he is ashamed. He says it in The Silmarillion, and he says it in some notes in Morgoth's Ring. But he always puts the words "out of fear" right after "repentance." I think fear can lead one to genuine repentance, and I think he fears the gods and he fears retribution. He kneels before Eönwë and is humbled and brought low. So, I think Halbrand is an example of him in this repentant stage.

Whether or not you view that repentance as genuine completely colors his actions of the season. You can look back at his actions, and they can be genuine repentance and it all makes sense. But if you look at him as manipulating everything and using Galadriel to bring him back… Of course, there are some coincidences that happen along the way, which play into his hands. But he is able to manipulate people.

I have a clear answer as to what worked best for me, but I like to leave it kind of ambiguous for the audience because it creates a bit of interesting discussion. It makes it cool to look back on and leave it to interpretation, I think.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Prime Video Charlie Vickers as Halbrand in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'

I'm fascinated by the relationship between Galadriel and Halbrand. There's that scene in the finale where he basically asks her to take his hand and rule at his side. What interested you about that relationship?

The dynamic is fascinating because she is inadvertently pulling him back towards this darkness. She doesn't realize it, but she's giving him the keys to the kingdom. Whether or not he's intending for her to do that is [up for debate]. But she is saying to him, "Come and rule. There is no peace for you here in Númenor. The only peace for you is across the seas as the king of men, as the king of the Southlands" — which inadvertently becomes Mordor. "Come and rule as the king of Mordor." She doesn't know it, but she's drawing him back.

I think when he presents himself to her in the final episode, he basically makes a pitch. He says, "Let's do this. You can be the queen, and I'll be the king." I don't think it's out of romance, at all. It's not a proposal. It's based on his own personal gain. He thinks he can rule more effectively with her at his side. And if she says no, by no means is it the end of the world. I think he is evil, and he is terrible, and in the end, he is going to be in charge by himself. Whether or not she's by his side, he'll find a way to do that. But at this time, it'll be more effective with her there.

Historically, Sauron has always been depicted as an unknowable figure. He's literally faceless, whether he's depicted as a giant flaming eye or whether he's wearing an enormous helmet. Here, this show literally humanizes him. What interested you about exploring that side of this iconic figure?

It's super exciting, and I feel really privileged to be able to create this character and depict him at this stage of his journey. He is the deceiver, right? And he's a shape-shifter. He has many powers, but those are two of his main things. So, in creating a human face for him, I like to think of his deception. If he's to deceive Galadriel, if he's to deceive Elendil, Míriel, Pharazôn, he has to be wholeheartedly invested in what he's doing in his deception. For me, it was really useful to think, okay, well, if Sauron is being a human, he would live and experience everything as a human in order to comprehensively create this character and deceive.

He's like the world's greatest Method actor. He's like Daniel Day-Lewis. [Laughs] He has to fully immerse himself. That was really useful for me, that he would feel and experience things as a human. And then, in the eighth episode, he sheds that, and you really see his full power, and that was a really fun thing to be able to play.

There's that great sequence in the finale, where Galadriel and Sauron have that confrontation. What do you remember most about filming those scenes?

I remember saying this line, which I can't quote word for word. I'm not very good at remembering lines. It's something like, "I've been awake since before the dawning of the first sunrise." That was so powerful for me. It was just like being able to take a breath and expand. It was a physical thing, just settling into the years and years of experience he's had. You embody this human Halbrand, who has a certain level of wisdom and a level of power. But, in order for the deception to be so comprehensive, the lifespan is a lot shorter, in my mind as an actor. So when I can fully take that on and let the world of a Maia into my body, I found that was a really amazing moment. I remember when we filmed it, I was like, "Oh, this is really cool."

Then, she tries to stab me with the dagger, and he just effortlessly holds her arm. We've seen how lethal she is, and we've seen what she does to other people and how powerful she is. So for him to just effortlessly hold her and then warp her mind was just so cool. It's a dream to be able to play something like that.

I imagine that would be a fun world to play in. Like you said, this is somebody who's literally older than the sunrise.

Exactly. I mean, Morfydd always says that Galadriel is older than the moon, and it's so true. She is. Then, you think about Sauron, and he was there before the music of the Ainur. He's been around a long, long time, back when he was Mairon the Fair.

It sounds like you're someone who really dove into all of the Tolkien lore. Was there a particular part of Tolkien's work that you found really helpful, or that stuck with you as you were trying to understand Sauron?

I loved diving into the lore. I used a lot of it. In fact, to help me with the enormity of the task ahead and the enormity of doing this character justice, I went back to the books and to the source material. That was where I spent a lot of my time, just reading and trying to understand this character from his origins in the First Age right through to the end of Return of the King and the appendices.

As far as things that jumped out to me, there are some really interesting letters that Tolkien talks about. There's letter 131, where you hear about his repentance, and you can see Tolkien's perspective on what he wanted Sauron to be. Despite this repentance, he wants Sauron to be thought of as very terrible. That's important, going down the line. You have to remember that he is evil. He is the epitome of evil. But the letters really informed me in the reemergence of Sauron. Tolkien talks about how he lingers in Middle-earth, and very slowly, he reforms. I think that's there in Halbrand. You see a lingering of this evil, and you see Halbrand slowly reforming from someone who has been humbled and is at the lowest of the low, floating on a raft in the sea, to being the king of the Southlands. You see the building blocks and how it all reemerges, and that completely aligns with what Tolkien said. And then there are other stories in The Silmarillion, like Beren and Luthien. Sauron's journey there is fascinating.

What have the past few weeks been like for you, as people have been theorizing and speculating? What's the wildest fan theory you've heard about yourself?

I don't go on the fan theory things that much! It's normally sent from friends. I've had a lot of friends guessing since he first appeared on screen, since he first said, "Looks can be deceiving." They've been like, "Oh hang on, what's the deal with this guy?" So, I've heard some theories from my friends. There's been a few theories about Sauron. There's been a lot of theories about the Witch-King. What else? Oh, the King of the Dead has been quite a popular one that my friends have sent me — the guy that Aragorn goes and enlists to fight at the end of Return of the King. Someone sent me a picture of my face next to the King of the Dead's face, which is like this skeleton. [Laughs] I was like, "Thanks, man. Thanks very much. That's really kind."

Yeah, I don't know if I see the resemblance there.

Exactly! It's a bit harsh!

Did any of your fellow cast members have funny reactions when they finally found out Halbrand's identity?

There was quite a lot of suspicion because we all knew that Sauron was someone, but no one really knew where he was. We were all pointing fingers at each other. I don't remember any specific reactions, but I think it was nice for people to get a definitive answer and for everyone to know what was happening. It's exactly what Sauron would've wanted: no one trusting each other.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

For more with Charlie Vickers on the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power finale, listen to EW's weekly podcast, All Rings Considered, breaking down each episode and featuring exclusive interviews with the cast and creators.

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