There have now been 2 seasons of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and the show seems to be missing something rather important, but there are 10 actors who could put that to rights. As the main character of The Rings of Power season 1, Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel was notably short one husband. The Rings of Power never strictly adhered to its source material, the books by J.R.R. Tolkien. However, eradicating the main character’s canonical husband to make way for a romance tease with her mortal enemy was a bold move.
Controversial but commercially successful, this move allowed sparkling chemistry to bloom between Clark and Sauron actor Charlie Vickers. Rings of Power showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay confirmed at SDCC that “Celeborn will be back” (via Screen Rant), so Galadriel’s husband is fully due for an appearance in The Rings of Power seasons 3, 4, or 5. The Celeborn actor has to rival Vickers for chemistry with Clark for the show to be credible, so miscasting Celeborn would be a big mistake. However, certain actors would fit the bill.
10Dan Stevens
DoB: October 10, 1982
Dan Stevens starred opposite Morfydd Clark in The Man Who Invented Christmas, proving that a couple’s dynamic works between the two. The two looked great together in the period drama, with their natural styling well-suited to a Rings of Power fantasy makeover. Moreover, Dan Stevens is a huge screen presence, and the Englishman could easily steal the attention away from other men in the room.
In roles, he often comes across as a hardened character with surface bitterness but a deep gentleness under the surface. The “good-natured with a tough sense of humor” angle would actually really work for Celeborn. Galadriel’s husband was physically capable and noble, but little characterized other than that. The show will have to put its own stamp on Celeborn, and he will have to be lovable. Dan Stevens is well-equipped to provide an unforgettable and unique Celeborn.
9Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
DoB: July 27, 1970
If there was ever a dreamcast for Celeborn, it would be Nicolaj Coster-Waldau. The Rings of Power season 2 proved what season 1 suggested – the show is keen on up-and-coming actors rather than well-established ones. As such, Nicolaj Coster-Waldau may be a little too much to hope for in the case of Celeborn. However, the Danish actor carries every note of Celeborn in his Scandinavian features. Celeborn was silver-haired royalty in the books – something Coster-Waldau has already embodied.
This tried-and-tested knight in shining armor would be Galadriel’s dream come true.
Celeborn’s Sindar nobility is present in Coster-Waldau’s high cheekbones and ashen complexion. Coster-Waldau’s good looks only improved with age, adding a melancholic wisdom and cynicism to his iconic role as Jaime Lannister. This depth is needed for the ancient Celeborn. Coster-Waldau’s Lannister role is, of course, the definitive tell of his strong Celeborn potential. This tried-and-tested knight in shining armor would be a perfect match for Galadriel.
8Martijn Lakemeier
DoB: September 17, 1993
It is important that Celeborn can carry himself like a Sindar noble would and Martijn Lakemeier has the royal touch, judging from his back catalog. Sauron’s fair form was described by Tolkien as having a “supremely royal demeanour and countenance,” which Vickers ate for breakfast in The Rings of Power. If Sauron can pull that off, a real Elvish noble in the show will certainly have to. Lakemeier’s role in Marie Antoinette was just one piece of proof that Lakemeier looks and acts the part:
Dutch performer Martijn Lakemeier is little-known in the US and UK but is making waves in his home country, and he demonstrated a propensity for courting women in period roles. This new Dutch talent offers The Rings of Power a blank slate and an actor to make their own and develop. Lakemeier’s role in Marie Antoinette showed strong potential which hasn’t been fully exploited in historical or fantasy dramas yet.
7Luke Eisner
DoB: August 1, 1996
Luke Eisner is a fresh new talent who is at the perfect level to be picked up by The Rings of Power. Despite a lack of experience in fantasy roles, Eisner captures ethereal Elvish beauty to a truly unique level. Celeborn had long, silver hair, embodying what may be the most otherworldly Elvish complexion, with Vanyar sporting blonde hair and the Noldor tending toward dark hair. A silver wig may suit Eisner even more than his own hair:
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Eisner is a young new star ready to be propelled to greatness by a prime-time show like Rings of Power. As the romantic lead in Netflix’s Tall Girl, he proved that he was capable of sweeping Galadriel off her feet. The American actor may also play the starring role in a fantasy movie being discussed with Nuala Barton – DragonMan: The Adventures Of Luke Starr. The future Luke Starr could use a role like Celeborn to boost this new direction.
6Harry Goodwins
DoB: Unknown
Brit Harry Goodwins is a rising star that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power would do well to notice for its Celeborn role. Although not as big as the likes of Tom Bombadil’s Rory Kinnear, Harry Goodwins has proven himself to be an engaging actor and a man of action with a Viking’s looks. Goodwins stars in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen TV series, cutting a formidable figure in a fight. Celeborn was pale of complexion and physically fit, which Goodwins looks ready to tackle.
Celeborn escaped the sack of Doriath, the realm where he met Galadriel. This says a lot about Celeborn’s ability with a sword, which is easy to overlook. It was in Unfinished Tales where Celeborn’s heroics really shone, with one version of the story putting Celeborn at the first Kinslaying, fighting back against Fëanor and defending his ship. Tolkien changed Celeborn’s story in Lord of the Rings a lot, fixating on this character and proving that he was more than just Galadriel’s husband. Goodwins could heroize Celeborn in all the right ways.
5Hero Fiennes Tiffin
DoB: November 6, 1997
English actor Hero Fiennes Tiffin is an outrageously good choice for Celeborn. It might be a little bit scary for millennials to think back to Hero Fiennes Tiffin as the young Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, mostly because it seems like only yesterday that Tiffin was this wide-eyed youth. However, Tiffin’s command of the screen in his Voldemort scenes was also chilling, foreshadowing an exciting career. As Riddle, Tiffin was aloof and wise beyond his years, exemplifying his Celeborn-suited depth and distant gaze:
Tiffin proved his action ability in the 2024 movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. This was no ordinary action movie but a critically acclaimed Guy Ritchie picture, telling the story of the original James Bond. Tiffin held his own in a cast of legends, starring alongside Henry Cavill and Alex Petyffer. More than that, Tiffin provided a powerful counterpoint to the muscle-bound masculinity going on all around him, serving up intellectual detachment and delicate features. Physically and mentally, Tiffin exists in the perfect space to take up an Elvish role like Celeborn.
4Callum Turner
DoB; Feb 15, 1990
Aside from Eddie Redmayne himself (possibly an oversized name for Rings of Power), the Harry Potter franchise could hardly offer a better Celeborn than Callum Turner. Starring opposite Redmayne in the Fantastic Beasts movies, Turner played Newt Scamander’s brother, and the two struck an uncanny resemblance. Turner’s long-suffering Scamander was the perfect experience for Celeborn. Building Turner’s candidacy for Celeborn yet more is his perfect fit for platinum hair:
Turner’s work in fantasy and horror like Assassin’s Creed and Victor Frankenstein also marks him out as a strong option for Celeborn. Turner carries fantasy, action, and history with grace and maturity, which are all useful notes for playing the Elvish Eldar. The English Turner demonstrated this while starring alongside Austin Butler in Masters of the Air, as well as in the TV series The Borgias.
3Austin Butler
DoB: August 17, 1991
American powerhouse Austin Butler may have already broken too big for The Rings of Power, but he would be excellent as Celeborn. Anyone who hasn’t caught Butler in the highly entertaining fantasy TV show The Shannara Chronicles may well have seen him terrifying and enchanting in equal measure in Dune: Part Two. Butler made the villainous Feyd-Rautha far more charismatic than he had any business being – a quality he could bring to the Amazon Prime series.
Celeborn stayed in Middle-earth for longer than any other Eldar Elf, being “the last living memory of the Elder Days in Middle-earth.”
If Butler can make viewers root for a bony-headed, violent brat, he can certaily pull the focus onto Celeborn in The Rings of Power. That is the level of magnetism required to make up for two seasons of absence and remind Galadriel where her heart really lies. Butler is not just magnetic but cut out for long, blonde hair and Elf ears, as his role in The Shannara Chronicles confirms.
2Josha Stradowski
DoB: 1995
Dutch actor Josha Stradowski is the perfect level, build, and complexion to play Celeborn. Stradowski’s breakout role was as Rand al’Thor, the hero of Amazon Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time. This 2022 fantasy series adapts the legendary books by Robert Jordan, and through his starring role, Stradowski showed his ability to make fantasy source material resonant with a modern audience.
Not only is Stradowski clearly comfortable leading in high fantasy TV, but he demonstrates strong chemistry with his co-stars, proving the potential for a long-term collaboration with Morfydd Clark. Stradowski’s formidable bone structure gives him the appearance of a nobleman, setting him apart as an ideal casting for Celeborn, the Sindarin aristocrat. It wouldn’t take much to transform Stradowski into a Celeborn worthy of Clark’s Galadriel.
1Sam Reid
DoB: February 19, 1987
Sam Reid may well be the best actor to play Galadriel’s husband. The Australian starred opposite Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson (Greyworm) in the 2022 fantasy horror show Interview with the Vampire, revealing him as the most hypnotic presence on TV. Reid’s mercurial Lestat de Lioncourt had super-strength and super-speed like Elves, but also more vulnerability and charisma than the cast of most fantasy shows combined. When Celeborn returns to proceedings in The Rings of Power, the show will have to explain where he has been.
Whoever portrays Celeborn will probably have some serious trauma to have to show. They will have to balance this with being a character appealing enough to make viewers want them to be with Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. If anyone could handle this, it would be Sam Reid.
Whoever portrays Celeborn will probably have some serious trauma to have to show. They will have to balance this with being a character appealing enough to make viewers want them to be with Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. If anyone could handle this, it would be Sam Reid.
