Rings of Power cast reveal secrets of coping with ‘hours’ of prosthetics and makeup each day

Virgin Radio

30 Aug 2024, 12:05

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two has begun airing on Prime Video.

And as fans return to the Middle Earth-based prequel series, let’s not forget the amount of time and effort which goes into getting the majority of the series’ actors ready to play their roles on the show.

Hundreds of hours are spent getting the Rings of Power’s main cast and the show's numerous supporting actors ready to act in scenes as elves, orcs, dwarves and more, and for many of the stars this time spent in the makeup trailers can be as or even more exhausting than their time spent on set.

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Speaking exclusively with virginradio.co.uk about his experience of being dressed in prosthetics in order to play dwarf king Durin III, Payback star Peter Mullan shared: “It’s a first world problem, you’re well paid for it, but it’s very invasive...

“In total, my total filming days in this were, I don’t know, 12 days, something like that, over like six months… and even just doing that stuff 12 times, there was more than a wee element of PTSD about it!” he admitted.

“Because you’re up at 3am, you’re in bed from 8pm and that’s unnatural… so you kinda wake up sleep deprived, and then you sit in a chair and it’s incredibly claustrophobic, because’s everything invasive.”

Thankfully, Mullan continued: “I got lucky, because lovely Sarah who does my prosthetics is very chatty and has the same energy level as me. So at 4am we were [chatting away]!”

However, the actor amusingly shared he does have a lot of envy of those who star as characters who require less time in the prosthetics department. “I suffer from elf-envy,” he laughed. “They stick on their pointy ears and they b***** off. Yeah, I’ve no sympathy for them.”

Season two newcomer Amelia Kenworthy joins The Rings of Power to play the elvin smith Mirdania, a protege of the well-respected smith Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards).

Also speaking with virginradio.co.uk at the world premiere of the Rings of Power’s second season, she revealed: “I didn’t know that I was playing an elf until quite a few weeks into the process, and I’d never had prosthetic work done before.

“Getting used to sitting in a chair for hours at 4am was definitely something that you know, needed adjusting to, but caffeine helped me through it and just listening to chill music,” she said. “It was actually quite relaxing, and in the end I’d fall asleep.”

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two episodes 1-3 are available to watch now on Prime Video, with more episodes dropping every Thursday.