Why You Can Trust CNET Morfydd Clark Watches Your 'Rings of Power' TikToks
When she's not learning the right way to swim in the sea or keeping Rings of Power secrets, the actor loves to know what fans think of the show.
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Morfydd Clark plays Galadriel in the new series The Rings of Power.
I had one question for Morfydd Clark.
In her brief time as Galadriel in The Rings of Power, the Welsh actor has been thrust into a spotlight she's never really experienced before. Her Galadriel looks and acts wildly different than the cherished Tolkien character we've seen and read about before, leading many curious fans to want to see what her story will look like over the course of this new series. But as I've checked out all the teaser art and trailers Amazon Prime Video has released in the last year, there's been one nagging question on my mind.
What's the dagger's name?
It's important to understand that J.R.R. Tolkien had a sort of hierarchy for things. Elves of noble heritage had special objects made, often imbued with magic in some way that made the items both more valuable and more useful to their owners. In this case, we know the dagger previously belonged to Galadriel's older brother Finrod Felegund. The first episode of Rings of Power briefly shows Finrod before he dies, and one of the big things you miss if you're unfamiliar with the character is that Finrod was the founder and King of Nagothrond. This underground elven fortress is kind of a big deal in the war against Morgoth, which means Finrod's weapons and armor were almost assuredly more special than those of your average elf.
Galadriel now has this very fancy dagger -- it's displayed prominently throughout the first two episodes, which you can watch now -- and it really seems like the dagger should have a name.
Clark wouldn't tell me though. She insisted she needed to "remain silent" on the topic for the moment, and instead referred to it jokingly as "The Dagger That Must Not Be Named."
What we talked about instead turned out to be a lot more fun.
The Dagger That Must Not Be Named, according to Clark.
Q: This is a massive project attached to something with global cultural impact spanning generations. What led to you accepting a role like this?
Clark: I've been obsessed about Middle-earth. I've kind of always wanted to be in Middle-earth rather than act in it, to be honest, and I don't think you choose to be in this to a degree because you never believe you're going to get the role. I went for my screen test thinking it would never happen, but there was this desire to be in a magical world with the breadth and depth of emotion and action within that I love.
Read more: 'The Rings of Power' Review: A Familiar, Epic Middle-Earth Adventure
Now that the filming is done, you've been on stage at San Diego Comic-Con and the show is on its way to audiences, is there anything that feels different from when you first got the role?
Nothing actually really changed, outside of my job having changed and the scale of this as my first press tour. But my life hasn't really changed. There's this sort of strange duality of knowing things have changed and also just feeling like, "Oh, you take yourself wherever you go."
Most folks know Galadriel only as this serene, powerful, calm individual. In Rings of Power, a lot of people are going to see a very different Galadriel. She's down to earth, physically active and in many ways a defiant character. How did you decide to approach this new Galadriel?
I love, in the Lord of the Rings films, when Galadriel shows the Dark Galadriel that she can be. That had always been something that really fascinated me, kind of getting to explore the aspects of her that would make her so lethal should she choose the path of evil. Also, Tolkien wrote thousands of years of lore, which is mind-boggling in itself, and the elves often acted very rashly and arrogantly throughout certain times and I was excited to explore the parts of her that are less serene, lacking in wisdom. I think there was also an aspect of shame too.
Your character is also a great deal more physical than we've ever seen from Galadriel. Can you talk about the training you went through?
I actually did loads of training. That was one of my favorite bits. It was just such a gift. I got to learn to ride, I did lots of climbing, sword fights. I got to learn to swim well. I was learning how to do all of these things with professionals, and it helps you to feel more powerful than I usually do in my poor mortal body.
I swim a lot more now. I actually can't believe I used to swim in the sea the way I used to swim. That wasn't safe.
You've been to a few events now with fans who've been able to see little bits of the show no one else has. How have those interactions been for you?
Comic-Con was wonderful, because I've actually been following a lot of the people who were going to be at Comic-Con. I like to learn visually as well as audibly, so after I finished the books I went through a bunch of podcasts and TikToks as well. It felt like I was having a conversation with some of these people. So in a way I was also a fan there, which was really nice.
A lot of Tolkien's books are about community and kindness and inclusivity. I think the fandom on the whole exhibits all of that, so it's been a treat for me.