Cynthia Addai-Robinson can well imagine the fear for her. Rings of Power character, Míriel, encountered when she walked into the sea in episode 6, “Where Is He?”. The former queen enters the water on a trial run in place of Elendil, following an ancient, pious Númenoran tradition: a sea monster that passes judgment (i.e. devours you, or not). For Míriel, the moment is a test of her faith: she chooses to spare Elendil and places her faith in their old religion, despite what the new Númenor leadership may say.
For Addai-Robinson, filming the scene was an act of faith and conviction.
“I’d never worked underwater before and it was terrifying,” Addai-Robinson told Polygon. Still, she persevered, hoping her alarm wouldn’t go off on screen. “I’ve had a lot of tests like that. Riding horses, being in a helicopter — these are all things that remind you that you’re mortal and you have to get past your own feelings about it and remember that you’re in service of this character and this moment and what it represents.”
The scene was technically shot in two parts: on location in the Canary Islands and in a tank at Pinewood Studios in the UK. Addai-Robinson had to get certified to use the ventilator for filming and (through no fault of the crew she was with) she felt “absolutely terrified” trying to replicate the calmness of Míriel.
In the end, they both emerged triumphant. But, Addai-Robinson notes, their journeys were not identical — she relied on the highly skilled crew of The Rings of Power. Míriel didn’t exactly make a reckless choice, but she was certainly at peace with the fact that it was a risky decision. But while the former Queen of Númenóre may not have been certain she would survive the trial run, Addai-Robinson knew she wasn’t making this choice for herself, but for the greater good.
“The main thing that Lloyd (Owen, who plays Elendil) and I talked about a lot was the idea of blind faith versus what your heart and your instincts tell you is right or wrong,” Addai-Robinson says.
For Míriel, the push and pull is complicated: she has been driven out by the people of Númenóre in favor of Pharazôn. But once she hears that Elendil saw a more promising vision in the palantír, she is convinced that Pharazôn’s rise to power is something they must trust—even if it is clear that he is dismantling the traditions of Númenóre (and possibly… worse).
Much of the former queen’s storyline this season has focused on this moment, and the ideological division between her and Elendil over her beliefs in what constitutes serving “the greater good.” Addai-Robinson ultimately referenced a moment all the way back in Episode 3 of this season — a beat she specifically asked the showrunners to change in order to strengthen Míriel’s characterization: When a grieving citizen of Númenor slaps the queen in front of her court over last season’s lost battle, Míriel was originally supposed to address the people in a stirring speech.
“I remember talking to the showrunners about it, because I thought, for me, this isn’t really about appealing to the masses right now,” Addai-Robinson said. “This is about specifically appealing to this one individual woman who is clearly in pain, who is clearly in deep grief — just like Míriel.
“I think it’s more powerful and interesting when she addresses this woman directly, that this isn’t about a moment, so to speak; that this is really about person to person, individual to individual.”
It is the kind of leadership that can inspire people. It can also pale in comparison to a populist like Pharazôn, who is busy playing on the baser instincts of the population. The sea trial was to be the ultimate reframing of her instincts over his: divine anointing that is hard to combat.
Ultimately, Addai-Robinson’s euphoria over being saved by a sea monster paled in comparison to finally getting out of the tank and the “state of panic” she was in while filming the scene. And while she’s happy for Míriel, she notes that things won’t be plain sailing from here on out.
“On the other side of that ordeal is a reaffirmation — not just of her faith, but I think a lesson for herself. That in order to overcome this, there’s something to understand about herself and her strength, and something to learn from that,” Addai-Robinson says. “After the trial run, where we stop doing things, we don’t immediately see the aftermath of that; we don’t get to see her take a ‘victory lap.’
“But the question remains: even though she has triumphed and the public has witnessed this – in fact, witnessed a miracle – Pharazôn will not let that happen.”