Cynthia Addai-Robinson breaks down Míriel's sea trial in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'

"If it is simply a sacrifice for Elendil, past it is simply a sacrifice worthy making."

On nan land of Númenor, Season 2 of The Lord of nan Rings: The Rings of Power has been 1 agelong trial of nan inhabitants' religion successful nan Elves and nan divine Valar.

Some, for illustration caller King Ar-Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) and his slimy boy Kemen (Leon Wadham), are failing spectacularly, moreover going truthful acold arsenic to desecrate nan oldest Valar shrine successful Númenor. A mini few, for illustration erstwhile Queen Tar-Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and erstwhile Sea Guard skipper Elendil (Lloyd Owen), clasp beardown to their beliefs. That steadfastness has landed them successful basking water, pinch Elendil successful situation and poised to beryllium executed. However, successful section 6, Pharazôn and his crony Lord Belzagar (Will Keen) determine that Elendil tin acquisition "trial by abyss," arsenic is customary for nan ways of nan Valar.

The oversea proceedings is still arsenic bully arsenic a decease sentence. After all, nan process involves forcing nan accused into nan water to look disconnected against a monolithic oversea worm. There's apt nary coming backmost from that, and Elendil knows it. If he dies, Pharazôn reaps not only nan reward of wiping 1 of his detractors disconnected nan board, but besides gets to further discredit nan Valar by saying they wantonness their followers successful their clip of need.

What Pharazôn couldn't predict was that Míriel would unpaid herself successful Elendil's place. It's a monolithic infinitesimal for Míriel, an effort to return backmost immoderate power aft being astatine her lowest constituent each play long. "There was decidedly an excitement of getting to put her successful a position wherever location was going to beryllium that show of strength," Addai-Robinson told Mashable.

But getting Míriel to nan constituent of making that prime takes rather a spot of soul-searching. The aforesaid goes for Elendil erstwhile he accepts nan proceedings by abyss, truthful Addai-Robinson and Owen had tons of chat astir their characters' narration to faith. Should they blindly judge Pharazôn's norm arsenic nan measurement things are meant to be? Is location immoderate measurement his emergence to powerfulness could beryllium nan will of nan Valar? Or should they perceive to their hearts, which show them that what Pharazôn is doing is fundamentally wrong? Both take nan second and guidelines gangly successful nan look of Pharazôn, moreover if it intends their lives are connected nan line.

For Míriel, there's different furniture to her choice: that of sacrificing herself for Elendil. The determination marks a caller turning constituent successful their relationship, which initially started arsenic a perfunctory leader-and-subject move earlier evolving into thing greater. The 2 are bound by their shared religion and emotion of Númenor, but besides by nan trauma they knowledgeable successful The Rings of Power's first season, erstwhile they journeyed to Middle-earth to take sides nan Southlands from invading Orcs. In that conflict and nan consequent explosion of Mount Doom, Míriel mislaid her vision, and Elendil believes he mislaid his boy Isildur (Maxim Baldry). Now, nan 2 are each other's top allies.

"There's evidently a heavy emotion there," Addai-Robinson said. "There's a beautiful infinitesimal during a speech aft nan debacle of nan coronation [in section 3] wherever she puts her manus connected Elendil's chest. It shifts nan dynamic, because that's not a leader-subject gesture, but it transcends nan romantic. It's really much astir nan respect and admiration and attraction and emotion betwixt them that doesn't needfully lend itself to a label."

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Addai-Robinson added, "I emotion that location is room for mentation for nan audience. If there's shipping, we're each astir it."

That heavy relationship to Elendil is what pushes Míriel to return connected nan proceedings of nan abyss. Of people there's immoderate uncertainty successful her mind arsenic she enters nan water. But Addai-Robinson believes nan "serenity" of Míriel's determination outweighs nan very quality flicker of doubt.

"If it is simply a sacrifice for nan greater good, if it is simply a sacrifice for her people, if it is simply a sacrifice for Elendil, past it is simply a sacrifice worthy making," Addai-Robinson said.

The Rings of Power shot nan lead-up to Míriel's proceedings connected location successful Tenerife. Months before, Addai-Robinson filmed nan underwater information of nan segment successful a vessel astatine Pinewood Studios, nether observant supervision from a dedicated h2o information team. And while nan elements of Tenerife posed their ain challenges, pinch choppy h2o and large waves, nan vessel activity held immoderate fascinating parallels to Míriel's predicament. Just for illustration a tense Míriel had to judge that nan Valar would spot her through, Addai-Robinson tempered her ain worries astir nan segment pinch her religion successful nan group overseeing her.

"I was perfectly terrified to beryllium underwater. It's not my comfortableness zone," Addai-Robinson explained. "You walk a agelong time successful nan h2o and it's draining psychologically, arsenic is nan lawsuit pinch things that we person heavy fearfulness around. In a batch of ways, you're facing your ain mortality. Every infinitesimal I was down there, I had nan panic consequence of, 'I'm going to drown. I request to travel up.' So settling my mind and trusting group was, to me, nan existent exercise."

In nan end, some Addai-Robinson and Míriel made it done nan proceedings by abyss. The resulting segment is 1 of The Rings of Power's astir gripping, arsenic Míriel faces down a monolithic oversea monster that would time off immoderate leader quaking successful their boots. Thankfully, nan oversea worm spares Míriel's life — overmuch to Pharazôn's disappointment — starring Elrond to dub her "Queen of nan Sea."

"If group understood each of nan group that person to travel together to propulsion immoderate of these things off, it really is an awesome feat," Addai-Robinson said. "So I'm proud that we each managed to person this peculiar series beryllium not conscionable a infinitesimal of triumph for Míriel, but a infinitesimal of triumph for each of america who put this series together."

The Lord of nan Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 is now streaming connected Prime Video, pinch a caller section each Thursday.

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