‘The Rings of Power’ is currently airing its second season. The show aired its first season back in 2022 to a somewhat mixed reception which is a shame considering the eye-watering sum of money Amazon spent on it. The show was initially highly awaited, but as soon as the first promo materials started – the trouble started as well.

It’s hard to think of an aspect of the show that wasn’t criticized by the audiences. Starting with cheap-looking costumes, the portrayal of Galadriel, and numerous inconsistencies with the source material. One one the most highly criticized aspects was that the show somewhat hinted that there’s an enemies-to-lovers type of arc going between Galadriel and Halbrand.

So far the critical reception for the second season has been excellent, with many pointing out that the show has improved in several aspects. Whether that remains the case throughout the whole run, remains to be seen, however initial positive reactions might be enough to draw in viewers who were never interested in the show.

And one of these viewers is, believe it or not, Hugo Weaving, who famously portrayed Elrond in ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ trilogies. It’s quite a legendary role. Considering that Elrond played a huge part in the history of Middle-earth, the character appears in ‘The Rings of Power’ as well, this time around played by Robert Aramayo, a much younger version of the character.

Weaving supports Aramayo but has admitted in the past that he hasn’t watched a single episode of the show as he doesn’t want to “return to Middle-earth”:

I haven’t seen it, and apologies to Robert. No, I spent too long in Middle-earth, and I don’t particularly want to go back there. I love New Zealand, I recently went back to New Zealand. […]But no, it’s funny – I think when you spend so much time on a particular piece, and in one way… it’s a big, big film, huge franchise, but for me, kind of, in a funny way, not a role that I think of with the same sort of stature in my head as it might do for fans. […]So, no, apologies to Robert, but I haven’t seen it. I’m sure he’s great.

Source: Radio Times

Although the role of Elrond in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is significant to fans, Weaving himself doesn’t view it with the same level of importance or stature. He sees it as just one part of his career, not necessarily a defining role.

He also acknowledged that ‘The Rings of Power’ is a big production and respects the work done by others, including Aramayo, but he hasn’t watched the show and doesn’t plan to. His lack of engagement seems to be more about personal choice than a judgment of the show’s quality or the performances involved.

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