Photo Source: Charlie Gray/Prime Video

It was a dream come true for Ismael Cruz Córdova when he was cast as the elf Arondir on Patrick McKay and John D. Payne’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” Ahead of the Season 2 premiere on Aug. 29, the multihyphenate discusses how the Prime Video series changed his life, why enduring hardships has made him a better actor, and what playing Mando on “Sesame Street” in the 2010s meant to him.

1. You’re an artist as well as an actor. How does that inform your work as a performer?

I’ve always had trouble calling myself an actor as an identity. It’s always felt a little bit off, because I think I’ve always been an artist. By the time I got to kindergarten, I knew how to read; I knew how to write. So, language was one of my first curiosities. I wrote a lot of poetry; I sketched all the time. For me, art is the most basic, essential expression. I don’t see how I could be the actor that I am without all of that.

2. How has “The Rings of Power” changed your career?

Seeing Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” films helped me understand that this is the career I want. On top of that, I fell in love with the elves. Those two things became goals for me.

Now, doing the show and having the opportunity to play a new type of elf—everybody’s like, “Are you nervous?”

How cool it is that I get to truly get into the heads of the elves? It’s really impacted me as an actor and as a person. Also, on the professional side, it has opened a lot of doors for me. I’m in the process of shooting my second movie this year out of three.

Ismael Cruz Córdova on “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Credit: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

3. You’re very open about the hardships you’ve overcome in your life. Do those experiences factor into your acting work?

It gives so much meaning to everything. Those experiences—people can sense them whether they know you or not. There’s something [about it that shows on] the screen. It is still hard—because there’s frustration when you see other people that are in a carpool versus in a limo versus in a self-driving car on the highway of life.

4. What advice would you give to young actors who want to break boundaries in the industry?

It’s the same question that I was asked: Do you want to do anything else? A lot of people talk about the dream more than they talk about the hardship. I talk about the hardship first and foremost. For example, that frustration that I am talking about: You’re going to see people just having the absolute easiest time, while you are not. You really have to delineate what your goals are and why you’re doing it.

5. How did playing Mando on “Sesame Street” impact your career? 

On “Sesame Street,” I created the version of Ismael that little Ismael wanted to see. Every episode, I was doing something different. That was extremely important. To this day, the only thing that will calm down my best friend’s niece are my songs [from the show]. It was beautiful for what it did for my career, and it’s wonderful to see that it’s still bearing fruit.