As The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power returns for its highly anticipated second season, the journey of its beloved characters promises to deepen and evolve in exciting new ways. The first season introduced audiences to a richly woven world of magic, mystery, and adventure, setting the stage for even more intricate storylines and character development. With new challenges and revelations on the horizon, Season 2 aims to expand on the foundations laid in its inaugural season, pushing characters to confront their deepest fears and desires.
To explore how these developments will unfold, we sat down with three key cast members: Daniel Weyman, who portrays The Stranger; Markella Kavenagh, who brings the adventurous Nori to life; and Megan Richards, who portrays the ever-loyal Poppy. Each actor shared their insights into how their characters will grow and what new facets of their personalities will be revealed.
From The Stranger’s evolving understanding of his own identity to Nori’s quest that tests her adventurous spirit and Poppy’s deepening sense of belonging, their perspectives offer a tantalizing glimpse into what fans can expect from this next chapter. Here’s what they had to say about the exciting new developments in Season 2.
How does The Stranger’s journey in Season 2 deepen his understanding of his own identity and purpose, and how did you approach portraying that evolution?
Weyman: I think that he feels at the end of Season 1 that he’s sort of, slightly, cracked the code of what this energy is and how it can be used, and what his purpose is. And he thinks that that’s gonna be a sort of linear thing, and in Season 2 finds out that it’s not. There are multiple obstacles placed in his path and multiple people or beings that come into his sphere and they have a profound effect on him. So, I think his journey is gonna be learning to trust himself when he comes into contact with people that upend his understanding of the world, and having the courage to follow a path through that to the end that he feels in his heart.
Nori’s adventurous spirit plays a crucial role in the story, of course. How does her quest in Season 2 challenge her growth and what new aspects of her character can fans expect to see?
Kavenagh: I would say, yes, Nori’s adventurous spirit is something that is a really wonderful thing to explore. You definitely see a lot of that in Season 2, but it brings forth new challenges for her. So, she’s navigating being there for The Stranger, being there for herself, and being there for Poppy and, kind of also trying to help the Harfoot community because that is also something she really cares about. So you see her meet new beings and create new support networks as she uncovers her purpose.
Poppy stands by Nori through thick and thin, as we saw in Season 1. In Season 2, how does Poppy’s loyalty and friendship evolve, and what new dimensions of her character will be explored?
Richards: I think the loyalty, as you said, is already there. So that’s quite nice, I think that that’s a great starting point. I feel like that’s kind of a given. There’s such a depth to their friendship that will remain, and that is definitely one of those depths. There’s a huge sense of discovery this season for Poppy, which kind of continues from Season 1, you’ve already seen a lot of that. But there are different avenues of her life that are being explored.
They meet new beings, and that’s very exciting. That reveals a lot about her sense of self and character, and what it means for her sense of belonging. I think that she really begins to explore that. Which is kind of the thing that drives her too, is her belonging and her want for that and to place that into beings. Another is also there’s a huge weight on her shoulder, you know, she’s map reading, and she’s trail-finding in a completely unknown land — the lands of Rhûn. So, to have that is really scary. But whether she’s ready for it or not, she has to be. And I think that that is also something that she’s coming to terms with too. She’s had to learn that almost immediately, that it’s all or nothing — and for her it’s always all.
The first three episodes of Season 2 of The Rings of Power are now streaming on Prime Video. Watch the trailer here.
Alyshia is the Interviews Editor for InBetweenDrafts. A self-proclaimed pop culture enthusiast, she watches B-movies in her spare time and hopes to make one some day. Apart from writing, she is a publicist fully immersed in the world of entertainment.
