The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power designer Barrie Gower recently explained why Sauron’s Elven form looks different from other Elves on the show. In the second season of the Prime Video series, Sauron disguises as Annatar (Charles Vickers), the Lord of Gifts and self-proclaimed emissary from the god-like Valar, to deceive the Elven smith Celebrimbor into crafting the remaining rings of power.

In an interview with Screen Rant, Gower discussed why it was necessary to differentiate Annatar from the other Elves in Middle-earth. The designer explained the practical processes of achieving the future Dark Lord of Middle Earth’s otherwordly appearance. “So, we are dictated primarily to giving somebody elf ears that would suit them, but we’re covering their own ears basically, or extending. Fortunately, Charlie has very nice ears, so we were able to give them these beautiful, slightly upturned angular ears,” he said. “We were looking at all the anatomy of the Elven ears that have been created in the past. But it’s creating something that would work well with his facial makeup and complement the hairstyle. He has that slight widow’s peak and the costume piece he has in his hair, as well.”

The Rings of Powers Annatar designer continued, “It’s having lots of elements that need to work together, and any one of those things could throw everything else off. Even down to Charlie’s complexion, the foundation that’s used on his face has a slight sheen to it. It’s creating this kind of otherworldly, godly presence that, in a way, he’s quite separate from the other Elves that we’ve created.”

The Rings of Power Designer Discussed the Design Contrast Between Annatar and Adar

Gower believes that Vickers’ Annatar and Sam Hazeldine’s Adar are at two opposite ends of the spectrum, and their designs were crafted to emphasize their roles in The Rings of Power. “We know it’s Sauron at heart, but we needed to create something that almost looks perfect and beautiful. So, I wouldn’t necessarily say he was a challenge. He was a really interesting character to develop,” he said. “Because we have somebody like Annatar, and then we have somebody like Sam Hazeldine’s character, Adar, who, even though Sam was inheriting that role from Joseph Mawle from Season 1.”

Gower continued, “We had to create Sam’s Adar to, again, have enough continuity from season 1. But he’s, in theory, sort of a part-orc, part-Elven character. So you have the two ends of the spectrum, really. It’s creating shapes for Sam that aren’t necessarily grotesque, but they are. They’re different in design from what we put on Charlie. So, it’s trying to tick all the boxes, from beauty to grotesque, somewhere in between.”

The Rings of Power Season 2 is currently streaming on Prime Video as it nears its October 3 finale.