The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 stunt coordinator and second unit director Vic Armstrong explains Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel evolution. Returning for its sophomore outing last month, Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings series, which hails from creators Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, continues to put Galadriel front and center in the action. In The Rings of Power season 2, Galadriel’s quest against Sauron rages once more from season 1, and the Elven warrior remains a major force for change in Middle-earth, both on the battlefield and off.

In a recent interview with Screen Rant, Armstrong touches on how Clark’s Galadriel has changed in The Rings of Power season 2, revealing some of the behind-the-scenes filming details. Armstrong shares immense praise for Clark and her physicality as a performer, as well as her positive attitude towards stunts and doing her own action sequences, particularly when it comes to horse riding. Clark’s Galadriel, he concludes, is turning into a “great queen.” Check out his comments below:

“It was fabulous, because in season 1, as I say, she was growing into a woman like Galadriel. And in season 2, it starts off with that wonderful horse chase I did, where she’s chasing to try and get the ring and everything else, which we shot in Windsor Great Park, just underneath the Queen’s castle there, and right across all of Berkshire there. She’s great now.

“We taught her to ride on season 1, and she’s really confident on a horse now, and she looks very queen-like on a horse. And then, into the battle scenes and the fight scenes, she flows, she’s a wonderful athlete. She won’t believe it, and I keep telling her this, but she is an incredible athlete. She’s got great body control, great balance, got a dancer’s balance. You can turn and do things and still keep in character and deliver her lines.

“She’s an absolute joy to work with, and anything you want to do action-wise, she’s up to do it. Training on season 1, we had her underwater, dragging her on her back with cables underwater for 15-20 minutes with a breathing apparatus in between shots. And she’s up for everything like that, and a real team player. So, it’s wonderful to see her developing as the show’s going on, into a really great queen.”

What Galadriel’s Evolution Means For The Rings Of Power’s Future

Clark’s Physicality Is Good News For The Show’s Action Scenes

In season 2, there remains a significant gap between the way Galadriel is portrayed in The Rings of Power compared to how she is portrayed in The Lord of the Rings. The show, after all, is a prequel that takes place thousands of years before Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring, and a character can certainly change a lot during such an amount of time. Galadriel is sure to remain a warrior in the show, but the source material would suggest that she will evolve to become wiser and perhaps more regal as the story moves along.

The Rings of Power takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, while Frodo’s story doesn’t take place until the Third Age.

As far as Clark’s own physicality and her involvement in action sequences, the show will surely continue to take advantage of this, both in season 2 and in The Rings of Power season 3 and beyond. In season 2, Galadriel has single-handedly taken on a fair number of Orcs, and the season 2 finale trailer teases that a direct confrontation between her and Sauron is coming.

Clark’s willingness to participate in action sequences and the dancer-like quality she brings to such moments should help to elevate fight scenes and other action beats. If Clark can convincingly swing a sword, ride a horse, and take a fall, after all, the show won’t have as many moments to hide when a stunt performer steps in.

Our Take On Clark’s Changing Galadriel

Warrior Galadriel Has Been Key To The Rings Of Power

Image via Prime Video

While Cate Blanchett made for a wonderful Galadriel in Peter Jackson’s beloved trilogy, one of the big strengths of the show is that the timeline allows for familiar characters to be portrayed in a new light. The Rings of Power characters like Galadriel and Elrond manage to be both familiar and surprising. Though both characters would do some fighting in Jackson’s The Hobbit films, the Prime Video show is really leaning into both characters’ warrior abilities, and seeing both figures more directly engaged in a fight for Middle-earth has been fun thus far.

While stunt performers are an essential part of making a show like The Rings of Power, it’s a major strength when actors have the physicality, the determination, and the willingness to learn to do as much as possible themselves. Clark’s go-getter attitude is certainly commendable, and it could very well lead to some exciting moments in the season 2 finale and beyond.