One star of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power thinks his character should never possess a ring. In a Screen Rant interview, Leon Wadham, who plays Kemen, a Númenorean, in the series, said it would be a disaster if his character were ever given one of the Rings of Power. The series so far, has shown the characters of Celebrimbor (Charles Edward) and Sauron, disguising himself as Annatar, (Charlie Vickers) forging several rings in Eregion while Kemen’s great city of Númenor is struggling.

“I feel like things are going so badly already, don’t give Kemen a ring. That will be a disaster,” Wadham said. “Celebrimbor says earlier this season when the idea of giving rings to men is even raised by Sauron that that would be a terrible idea. And I think watching what’s happening in Númenor this season, there’s no doubt as to what he means. If we’re already in this shape without them, where will we be when they arrive?”

I feel like things are going so badly already, don’t give Kemen a ring. That will be a disaster.

So far, Season 2 of the series, which draws its inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings source material, has shown a Númenor that’s beginning to fall. The city of Men is divided with the power of Queen Regent Míriel being questioned by its citizenry after she looks to a palintír for answers. The other half of the city is in support of Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle).

The actions of Wadham’s Kemen in Episode 5 of Season 2 seemingly prove that if he were to get a ring, things in the great city of Men could take an even worse turn. Kemen is shown interfering with a sacred ritual during which he and Elendil (Lloyd Owen) have a physical fight. However, the scene ends with Kemen stabbing Valandil (Alex Tarrant) in the back, which is seen as a cowardly move.

The character of Kemen is exclusive to The Rings of Power series, having not appeared in any of Tolkien’s works. Wadham, a New Zealand native, recently spoke about what it’s like working on the series.“It didn’t cross my mind that I’d even end up in a Tolkien story, despite having been exposed to it my whole life,” he said. He added that he grew up in Wellington, where they were making the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy when he was in primary school.

Kemen’s Story Continues

“I think playing Kemen and playing a Númenorean kind of threaded the needle and allowed me to enter this word in a way that I had not imagined previously,” he said. “When I saw these stories previously, I thought ‘Well, I don’t see myself with the Elves or with the Hobbits and I don’t see myself on a horse charging into battle.’ To end up in this island paradise. I go oh, okay, there is political intrigue, and maybe that’s where I fit.”

The Rings of Power is currently in the midst of its Season 2 run on Prime Video. New episodes are released every Thursday. The finale will air on Oct. 3.