The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star Morfydd Clark reveals how House of the Dragon’s Matt Smith helped to prepare her for her leading role. Previously having starred in supporting roles such as Mina Harker in Netflix’s 2020 Dracula series and Sister Clara in HBO’s His Dark Materials, Clark would eventually come to lead Prime Video’s Rings of Power as a younger, more tempestuous version of the future Elven Queen, Galadriel. However, before Rings of Power’s season 1 debut, she filmed a Gothic horror movie, Starve Acre, alongside House of the Dragon’s Smith.
Speaking with Screen Rant about Starve Acre’s digital release, the Rings of Power star spoke about her time spent with Smith and how he helped prepare her for the show’s 2022 debut. Describing his presence as a “blessing,” she says that Smith helped to calm her anxieties about Rings of Power’s release and the prospect of leading such a high-profile show. Clark also suggested that despite Smith’s onscreen seriousness, he is also delightfully playful when the cameras aren’t rolling. Check out her comments below:
It was a blessing for me. I don’t know if he’d say that, because basically, he calmed me down about having a big series coming out, because I had never done that before. He was like, “You’ll be fine. It’s a lot of fun.” I feel so lucky that I was with him. We were in this house in the middle of nowhere.
There were a lot of chats about what was to come. Whenever I’ve done something that explores the darkness of human nature and the tragedies of life, you really need respite from it. He is so good at delivering seriousness when the cameras are there but also very playful and silly when it’s not.
Will Rings Of Power Season 2 Win Over Galadriel’s Doubters?
Clark’s Initial Tenure As Galadriel Received More Than Its Share Of Criticism
Despite being well-received by critics at the time of its original release, Prime Video’s approach to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was not without its share of vocal detractors. Between its diverse casting decisions and the way Clark’s Galadriel stood in stark contrast to the more serene and composed character featured in Tolkien’s writings, the show sparked a significant degree of backlash. So intense was the initial online commentary, that Prime Video even took the rare step of suspending its season 1 premiere reviews for 72 hours in a bid to weed out review bombers.
However, with The Rings of Power’s season 2 release just weeks away, it will be interesting to see whether Clark’s Galadriel can finally win over some of the show’s more reluctant viewers. Having been hardened by the world-changing events of the First Age, and consumed by her hunt for Sauron, Clark’s character still has a long way to go before she transforms into the more serene and formidable Elven Queen audiences are familiar with.
Though with Galadriel coming into possession of Nenya, the Elven ring of power forged during The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 finale, she is already well on her way to becoming Tolkien’s legendary figure. With any luck, Smith’s own advice to Clark helped to steel her resolve and better prepared her for some of the more vitriolic criticism that has been aimed at her portrayal of Galadriel, and her continued time in the role will ultimately serve to prove her doubters wrong.
