Sophia Nomvete (Disa) talks about the fan response to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and what we can expect from the dwarves in season 2.

Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios.

The Rings of Power is a Lord of the Rings prequel series about to return for its second season on Prime Video. Set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before folks like Bilbo and Frodo were born, it introduces a variety of new characters, some drawn from the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books and some invented for TV.

One of the newcomers is Disa, the wife of the dwarven prince Durin IV. Played by Sophia Nomvete, Disa was one of my favorite parts of the first season. In a show where a lot of the characters are running around intoning about great powers and destinies and so forth, Disa and Durin (Owain Arthur) seemed to live a pretty normal life as a married couple, complete with unruly kids and family spats. Speaking to reporters at San Diego Comic-Con, Nomvete promises more of that dynamic in season 2, with a twist:

“We’re so pleased that the union has had such wonderful feedback, that [they’re] kind of that couple that everyone can relate to,” Nomvete said. “So you see more of that. But inevitably, in season 2, the stakes are so much higher. So those arguments that you know, they’re kind of tit for tat before, they’re carrying much more weight now. You can still see so much love between them. They love each other dearly, and they love their kingdom. But there’s just that constant, ‘How do we do this? How do we that?’ But they’re there in full force. Durin and Disa, double D. But don’t quote that.”

Too late. You heard it here: “Durin and Disa, double D.”

The Rings of Power star welcomes discussion and pushback on the show

“I think Season 1 was like a lot of establishment,” Nomvete continued. “What do [female dwarves] even look like? Particularly for this dwarf who is kind of new to the world of television and so it was lots of establishment, lots of work, lots of physical work, vocal work, accent work. And I think we’ve got to a point now where it was received so well by everyone but also by ourselves. It felt absolutely right for the people that are playing the characters, and so what we could do this season is just run with it. We discovered new things along the way, but the core, you know, the heartbeat of the culture of the dwarf was established and we loved it, and it felt really right. And so we could kind of take that pocket and just expand on it for season 2.”

It’s true that the first season of The Rings of Power was well-received by a lot of people, although there were also plenty of fans who were less enthusiastic, whether because they wanted the show to stick closer to Tolkien lore or because they just found it a little lacking. Nomvete is aware of the debate, but doesn’t see it as anything to be afraid of.

“You know I’m an artist, and if there’s not discussion, we’re not doing the right thing,” Nomvete said. “I don’t think there is anything really in the world when it’s art that can be universally, like, everyone thinks exactly the same. How dull would that be? You know, I love the fact that there’s discussion. I love the fact that there’s struggle for some people in how to receive what we’re doing. It’s our job to create an authentic story and put it out into the world. And I think the positive feedback and the love that we get is so wonderful. But also audiences that may struggle with the story or the choices that we make is also really valuable. You know, it’s a melting pot of ideas and imagination and talking, and everyone receives information and story in different ways. And so I thrive with all of it and love all of it. And I just think it would be really dull if it was one opinion across the board.”

I think that’s a good way of looking at things. The first season inspired some spirited discussion and the second season will probably inspire more, but as long as the cast and crew keep producing work they’re passionate about, fans will follow.

The second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere this Thursday, August 29 on Prime Video. The first three episodes are dropping all at once, with the remaining five episodes to follow at a rate of one per week.