‘The Rings Of Power’ star Maxim Baldry struggled with character’s fate

nme.com:

The Rings Of Power star Maxim Baldry has admitted that he struggled to come to terms with the inevitable fate of his character, Isildur.In J.R.R.

Tolkien’s novels, Isildur is corrupted by the power of the One Ring after cutting it from the hand of Sauron – as depicted at the beginning of Peter Jackson’s first Lord Of The Rings film – kickstarting the entire Third Age of Middle-earth.The character has long been viewed as a villain, but Amazon’s new prequel series has painted him in a more forgiving light, although Baldry “struggled” with knowing his character’s fate.“That’s the element I’ve struggled the most with – the fact we know he does this one specific thing right at the end [of our story], which is to keep the ring and not destroy it,” Baldry said in an exclusive interview with NME.“But now the question is: why?

It’s up to [showrunners] Patrick [McKay] and J.D. [Payne] to create a character that we love and believe, but we also have to understand why he does that.”Baldry described his character as a man bound by duty, while also hinting at some potential issues with his father: “He really is trying to be a good son.

But in the process, you also want to find yourself and understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.“It’s that classic tale where your dad lived the life that you’re living before you, so he knows the mistakes you could potentially make.