The Rings of Power’s Stranger reveal was held back from the cast until the very end
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Full spoilers for The Rings of Power Episode 8 to follow.
Markella Kavenagh has revealed that the cast of The Rings of Power only learned about The Stranger’s identity when they received the script for episode 8.
Kavenagh, who plays Nori Brandyfoot, one of the show’s main Harfoots, spoke exclusively to Ditching before the The Rings of Power season 1 finale aired, explaining that she had no idea who The Stranger was until late in the production.
Big spoilers to follow for The Rings of Power Episode 8. If you haven’t streamed it yet, don’t read beyond the image below.
While we don’t get to know The Stranger’s real name, we do receive confirmation of the type of creature he is in the latest episode of the high-fantasy Prime Video show. He is one of the Istari, a collection of five wizards sent to Middle-earth by the Valar to aid the races of the world in their battle against Sauron.
Ever since The Rings of Power’s first trailer came out in February, Lord of the Rings fans have speculated that The Stranger was one of the Istari, though the expensive Prime Video series occasionally misled us into thinking he was actually Sauron. . However, with the arrival of the eighth episode of The Rings of Power, we know that The Stranger is one of the good ones – it remains to be seen which one he really is.
It seems that many of the show’s cast also didn’t know who The Stranger was for a long time. As Kavenagh revealed, none of the actors who played a Harfoot — including Megan Richards (Poppy), Sara Zwongbani (Marigold), and Dylan Smith (Largo) — as well as The Stranger himself (Daniel Weyman) knew ahead of time, with the group getting there. behind when the scripts were delivered to them.
“Yeah, when we actually got the scripts,” Kavenagh said when asked when she heard of The Stranger’s wizard reveal. “I think we have [episode] eight quite late and there were also two versions, because the final was so confidential. We read through the scripts and it was very exciting to find out who played Daniel. It was a big deal to finally know who The Stranger was – in a way!”
Check out our Rings of Power recaps
“In a sense” is the correct way to end such an answer. Unfortunately, The Rings of Power does not confirm which wizard The Stranger is. That’s a reveal that will be delayed until season 2 at the earliest. Although, judging by a specific dialogue The Stranger says to Nori in Episode 8, we may already know who he is.
Thankfully, the show’s eighth entry isn’t the end of Nori and The Stranger’s budding friendship. We see the pair leave the rest of the Harfoots to travel east, with the land of Rhûn firmly in their sights. There, the pair hopes to learn more about The Stranger’s powers — and hopefully his real name.
For Kavenagh, the chance to further explore Nori’s relationship with The Stranger in the series’ second season is incredibly exciting. Especially since the duo can now actually talk to each other – something that wasn’t possible when The Stranger first crashed in the first episode of The Rings of Power.
“They can now communicate more verbally,” she added. “We have that dialogue-heavy scene in episode eight, but it’s the first time we were able to really communicate with each other. It was quite an experience, and I think that will change as their friendship develops.
“It will add a little more to their dynamics, but we’ll have to see how that plays out. I don’t know when season 2 filming will start – it’s starting slowly but I don’t have a definite time there for Daniel and I know each other well now, so hopefully it will be more fun and we can imbue their relationship with a deeper connection.”
For more exclusive Rings of Power coverage, find out why Episode 2 nearly ruined the show’s big Sauron reveal. You can also read when the show’s cast found out which of them played Sauron.