The cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power didn’t even know their characters when they were hired. Both Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies featured incredible ensemble casts that brought nearly every character from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels to life in live-action. This includes established veteran actors like Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, and Ian Holm. A few actors who broke out courtesy of the franchise include Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, and Andy Serkis.

A few familiar characters from Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy will be back for Amazon’s ballyhooed series, The Rings of Power, which is set thousands of years prior. To depict this age difference, younger actors were cast to play returning Elven characters like Galadriel and Elrond, who were memorably portrayed by Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving for the films. The Rings of Power has instead opted for a cast of entirely unknown actors like Morfydd Clark and Robert Aramayo who will play the two aforementioned characters. They and others are likely to make a name for themselves as the series comes closer to airing later this year on September 3.

For Vanity Fair‘s first look at The Rings of Power, Amazon executives Vernon Sanders and Jennifer Salke talked about the intense secrecy going into making the Lord of the Rings series. This even extended to the cast of the show, who was hired without even being told which part they were going to play. This secrecy naturally gives rise to fan curiosity, which Sanders and Salke believe is healthy for the show and the fandom. Read what they had to say below:

Sanders : We believe all of that work and all of that security and all of that protection will actually be to the benefit of our customers.

Salke : Anybody who’s scrutinizing, or chasing fliers, or trying to peek in any crack they can to get details, or even speculating—that’s all about fan engagement and passion. So we view it as such. The speculation is welcome.

In recent years, secrecy has been the norm with Disney-owned productions like Marvel and Star Wars, as well as Warner Bros.’ DC movies and even the later seasons of Game of Thrones. However, Amazon’s covert tactics have seemed to reach a level never seen before for their Lord of the Rings series. While there is some precedent for actors auditioning without knowing what part they will be playing, hiring them while they are still in the dark takes protecting a production’s secrets to a drastic level.

The Rings of Power demonstrated its dedication to secrecy early on during development when the show’s resident Tolkien scholar, Tom Shippey, was fired for giving an unsanctioned interview in which discussed a few minor details about the show. Despite what fans may think of this type of intense secrecy, it’s certainly here to stay for high-profile productions like Lord of the Rings. Hopefully, more will be revealed about the show’s characters soon, likely during its upcoming Super Bowl spot.