How to Get Cast on ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’

Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s appendices to his “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, as well as “The Hobbit,” “The Rings of Power” uses a blend of familiar names and fresh faces to take us back to the Second Age of Middle-earth. The show focuses on Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), a younger version of the Elven queen that Cate Blanchett played in Jackson’s films, as she rallies a group of warriors to fight against an evil rising in the shadows thousands of years before Bilbo Baggins first ventures out of the Shire. With a young Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and a new band of Elves, Dwarves, and men, Galadriel—spoiler alert!—soon becomes suspicious of her companion Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), who ultimately reveals that he’s the Dark Lord Sauron, Middle-earth’s long-lost villain who’s on the path to forging the first Rings of Power. As he works to take control over the citizens of Middle-earth, Galadriel must work to counter her error in judgment before the Dark Lord can destroy their world for good on Season 2.

Season 1’s cast featured:

• Morfydd Clark as Galadriel
• Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn
• Peter Mullan as King Durin III
• Benjamin Walker as High King Gil-galad
• Lenny Henry as Sadoc Burrows
• Robert Aramayo as Elrond
• Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Queen Regent Míriel
• Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir
• Ema Horvath as Eärien
• Markella Kavenagh as Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot
• Owain Arthur as Prince Durin IV
• Maxim Baldry as Isildur
• Sophia Nomvete as Princess Disa
• Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn
• Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor
• Charlie Vickers as Halbrand
• Lloyd Owen as Elendil
• Sara Zwangobani as Marigold Brandyfoot
• Thusitha Jayasundera as Malva
• Megan Richards as Poppy Proudfellow
• Daniel Weyman as the Stranger
• Dylan Smith as Largo Brandyfoot
• Alex Tarrant as Valandil
• Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo
• Geoff Morrell as Waldreg
• Maxine Cunliffe as Vilma

Amazon announced an array of new cast members joining the Season 2 ensemble, including Ciarán Hinds, Rory Kinnear, Tanya Moodie, Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen “Zates” Atour, Ben Daniels, Amelia Kenworthy, Sam Hazeldine, Nia Towle, Nicholas Woodeson, Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Calam Lynch, William Chubb, Kevin Eldon, Will Keen, Selina Lo, and Gavi Singh Chera.

Building an ensemble cast isn’t an easy task, but the CDs behind “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” know how to get the job done. The prequel series is cast by Theo Park (Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso”), Kirsty McGregor, and Stu Turner (who were both part of the team that cast “The Wilds,” another Prime Video ensemble series). 

Having put together dozens of projects between them, this team truly knows the ins and outs of casting, and they want actors to understand what goes on in their minds and behind the scenes. For instance, Park told us that unless specifically requested she doesn’t care about an actor’s educational background as long as they have what it takes to bring a given role to life.

“There are certainly some projects where the creatives are interested in people having classical training, for reasons of the material itself. I may seek out those people [actors who have been to drama school]. But generally, it doesn’t bother me whether you’ve trained or not. It’s [about] whether you’re right for the part,” she explained.

Park also wants actors to be patient. She knows waiting to hear back can be nerve-wracking; but there’s a good chance she’s also waiting to hear back. “[Actors] probably don’t know that we get a lot of silence, too. Sometimes we’re chasing and chasing for feedback from the producers, but the producers are busy, and they just can’t get around to seeing the tapes yet,” she said. “Actors probably don’t realize that it’s hard for us to get some answers, as much as we want to. It’s in our best interest to get them their feedback as soon as possible.”

Córdova (Arondir) knows what it’s like to take risks—he’s “known” for his “wild” approach—and as he once told us, he went all out when it came to auditioning for “The Rings of Power.” And it paid off! “I definitely have written some statement of interest letters, if you will, that are more like five-, six-, seven-page op-eds to make a case for what I would bring, the connection to the character. I have shown up in character to an audition,” he said. “For [‘The Rings of Power’], I almost traveled to the director’s office. I kept hounding my managers to be like, ‘Where is he? What part of the world is he in?’ I did full hair and makeup and costume for one of the meetings. It was exactly what they didn't want, I now know.” But Córdova clearly made a lasting impression that ultimately earned him a role.

Clark was in the dark when she auditioned for Galadriel. “I swear people had been talking about [a ‘Lord of the Rings’ series] for a long time, even when I was still at drama school. And then, years later, I got an audition. It was all quite vague. They just said they wanted actors who had experience in Shakespearean language; that was all the info we got,” she told AnOther Magazine. “I was in the waiting room and one of the people sitting next to me asked if I knew what this was for, and I said no, and she said it was for ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ I had to go to the toilet to have a word with myself. I was like, it’s OK; you’ve been prepping for this for your whole life. I went in and did it, and was auditioning for quite a while, and then, eventually, I was in New Zealand.”

Matt Grace/Prime Video

A third season of “The Rings of Power” hasn’t gotten the official go-ahead just yet, but Variety reports that the next installment has been in the earliest stages of production since Feb. 2024. In this case, showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne are already hard at work on the stories for Season 3. After all, as Deadline noted, Amazon Studios acquired the global TV rights to “The Lord of the Rings,” and with that came a multi-season commitment to the series and its potential spinoff. Check back again for updates on the show’s future.

There are currently no open casting calls or auditions available as the series awaits its Season 3 renewal. You might want to check out our roundup of streamer gigs that are casting now. Or explore our in-depth guides on how to get cast on “The Boys” and how to audition for Prime Video. We also recommend bookmarking our main casting call page for updates on the latest opportunities.

Although this might be the cast’s first foray into Middle-earth, it’s not their first time onscreen. Here’s the best audition advice the “Rings of Power” stars have to offer:

• Learn your craft: From stage to screen, Benjamin Walker (High King Gil-galad) has done it all—thanks to his insatiable desire to keep learning. “Study,” he told us. “By study, I mean really take what your teachers have to say seriously—try fully. Learn everything you can. You don’t have to agree with it all. You don’t have to like it all. But you have to try it all. I’d also say what they can’t teach you in school is that it also takes time. We live in a very ‘American Idol’ mentality, and that has not been my experience, and I would encourage people to not aspire for that. It is a craft…that should last the entirety of your life. Some things look [like they happened] overnight, but [they didn’t]. Who remembers the third runner-up of the third season of ‘American Idol’? You wouldn’t want that anyway. Who knows? Maybe they’re brilliant. Maybe it’s, like, Kelly Clarkson, you asshole.”
• Give yourself some space: While auditions are an essential part of the process, Clark said that she tries to avoid obsessing over the outcome. “I try to not let the audition live in my mind rent-free for too long,” she told us. “If I think about it too much, I start to imagine what it would actually be like on the job—where it’s filming, and stuff like that. And I don’t find that very useful. So I try not to take in any of the practical details, because that makes it unmanageable. Instead, just focus on the audition—the actual text. I also try to do no more than about two hours of prep before an audition, because there’s a fine balance between putting enough effort in and still being able to cast it aside. You don’t get 95% of auditions, so it’s useful to keep them as transitory things. I think compartmentalizing like that has kept me sane. I give it a reasonable amount of time but don’t allow it to take over my life.”
• Commit to the moment: When you’re in the audition room, you have to be present and invested. Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Queen Regent Míriel) says that you must be all in—anything less than 100% simply will not do. “It’s a mini performance,” she told us. “You have to really give the full performance in that moment. You can’t be halfway about it. You have to really commit to giving it all that you have, and let that be enough. Of course you want the job, but it’s not about getting a job; it’s about authenticity and a real focus.”
• Recognize your power: For Córdova, success comes from recognizing you have more power over the situation than you think. “You need to take a risk,” he said. “A mistake that we make [is believing] that we’re powerless in this process and we’re expected to be powerless. You start realizing you are a component that [casting directors are] looking for to complete a puzzle. You become empowered. They want that. I’m sure you’ve heard many casting directors say, ‘We want them to be good; we want them to get the role.’ Of course, I’m not going to do that on set, but if it’s going to work for me to captivate you, I’ll do it. If I believe in a role, up until the very last, I will be campaigning for it in any way possible that is legal.”