The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne explain how Charlie Vickers’ audition to play Elrond would ultimately lead to his casting as central villain Sauron. Set long before the events of Frodo’s journey into Mordor, the Prime Video fantasy epic explores the Second Age of Middle Earth, as Sauron begins to gather the power needed to dominate the world. While the Dark Lord’s identity was kept a mystery throughout season 1, it was revealed that Vicker’s sole human shipwreck survivor Halbrand had been Sauron in disguise, plotting to forge his rings.

As Vickers prepares to fully embrace his role as Sauron in The Rings of Power season 2, McKay and Payne reveal to EMPIRE how the actor’s rejection from a different role led to his casting as the villain. Confirming that Vickers had initially auditioned to play Elrond, Payne stated that he had the qualities they were looking for in the Elven hero, but McKay revealed that season 1 director J.A. Bayona suggested they use Vicker’s chemistry to craft a Sauron who can use those qualities to deceive. Check out the pair’s full responses below:

Payne: Charlie’s such a lovely, delightful person that you feel a sense of warmth and light about him. That’s something we were looking for in the Elrond character.

McKay: Our eyes lit up like a pinball machine. We said, Now his charm and warmth are a weapon. If this works, it will pay dividends down the road. When he goes dark, you will weirdly still like him and want to go on his journey, even though the things he’s doing are repellent to you. I think the results speak for themselves in Season 2.

How The Rings of Power Season 1’s Sauron Deceived Viewers

The Character Had Similarities To Another Lord Of The Rings Character

Across season 1 of The Rings of Power, the whereabouts of Sauron were a key running mystery, as several figures, including Halbrand, were set up as potential suspects. Between Daniel Weyman’s mysterious Stranger, pursued by three women who believe him to be Sauron who would later be revealed to be one of Middle Earth’s Istari, to the Fallen Elf Adar (Portrayed in season 1 by Joseph Mawle) that led legions of orcs in a campaign that would lead to Mordor’s formation. While Halbrand’s nature as a new character may have raised brows, other threads deflected from the truth.

Halbrand’s tale was constructed to seem incredibly familiar to longtime Lord of the Ring fans, as the backstory Rings of Power season 1 gave him holds many parallels to that of Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen). Like Aragorn, Halbrand is supposedly a king stripped of his title and roaming Middle Earth, until joining Galadriel’s (Morfydd Clarke) quest spurs him into action as a reluctant hero who would later embrace his destiny. However, as viewers and Galadriel would soon learn, this fable had lured them into a false sense of security, with Sauron succeeding in planting the seeds for his rise.

With Vicker’s portrayal of Sauron and his complicated relationship with Galadriel becoming a fan-favorite dynamic of Rings of Power season 1, it is clear McKay, Payne, and Bayona’s casting gamble paid off. While the actor fit the hero role for most of the season, his sudden turn in episode 8 is both a stark contrast to the Halbrand persona and a powerful performance that takes viewers by surprise. And with the true Sauron now roaming Middle Earth in Rings of Power season 2, many may be keen to see Vickers embrace his darker side as a deceiving Dark Lord.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2’s first three episodes release on Prime Video on August 29.