Major spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 2 episode 8.
The Rings of Power actor Daniel Weyman has explained when he found out his character's (The Stranger) real name – and no, he hasn't known since the hit Amazon series began.
Ahead of the season 2 finale, titled 'Shadow and Flame', I spoke to Weyman about the grand reveal, among other things, concerning the mysterious wizard he's played for the past two seasons. And, despite The Rings of Power's cast telling me that they knew who The Stranger was way back in October 2022, Weyman – who confirmed that I was one of the first people he was discussing this with – admitted he had no idea who he was really playing in the Prime Video show until he'd almost finished filming on season 2.
So, what is the enigmatic Istar's true identity? Drum roll, please: it's... Gandalf. I know, I'm as shocked as you are (that's sarcasm, for anyone who may think I'm actually stunned by this revelation). There have been plenty of clues throughout the high fantasy series, including in The Rings of Power season 1 finale and The Rings of Power season 2's fourth episode, that hinted this was the case. Nonetheless, responding to my first question about how long he's known he was playing Gandalf, Weyman claimed he wasn't privy to this reveal for as long as viewers may think. Indeed, it wasn't until showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, plus director/executive producer Charlotte Brändström, took him aside in the final throes of filming season 2 that he was made aware of The Stranger's actual name.
"Towards the end of episode six, they [Payne and McKay] said 'we've still got some scenes in episode eight we need to film,'" Weyman revealed. "I said 'okay' and then they added 'this will be chronologically out of order for you but, next week, we're going to ask you to say your name', which I thought was really exciting.
"When the time came, they sat me down with Charlotte and said 'so, you know, The Stranger's been on a long journey and, now, Middle-earth's people are going to start calling you Gandalf'. To be honest with you, I was pretty shocked. No matter how many theories I've heard, I never wanted to believe it because he's such an iconic character. I always wanted to stay with The Stranger and play the truth of where he was at, so I hadn't let myself imagine that [I'd be Gandalf] too much.
I was shocked, but also excited and very humbled
Daniel Weyman, The Rings of Power actor
"So, when it was crystallized in front of me, I was shocked, but also excited and very humbled. I feel really honored that, from season one, they've put The Stranger on this trajectory to become Gandalf. I also love the fact that, when I saw the script, it's others who bestow it upon him. It was the slightly mistaken thing where the Stoors and Harfoots call him a 'grand elf', and it also has some resonance through his staff because 'gand' is an old Norse word for 'staff', which [J.R.R.] Tolkien used as inspiration for his name. To get the level of depth in your name, I think it's really beautiful."
Speaking of Gandalf's staff, which he also finds in 'Shadow and Flame', viewers – myself included – have noted that it bears a striking resemblance to the staff that Ian McKellen wields as Gandalf in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. Was the intention there, then, on the crew's part to perfectly replicate the film adaptations' staff for one of the best Prime Video shows' second season?
"That's a really good question," Weyman replied. "Strangely, it wasn't one that I asked or looked into, but it feels like a staff that Gandalf would use. When it was presented to me to look at, it was a really wonderful moment. It didn't just feel like it had been carved by the skilled [craftspeople who work on our show]; it really seemed like it had experienced hundreds of years growing on a tree in the Stoors' canyon home in Rhûn and collected these weird, gnarly bits at its end before falling off.
"But it felt like a friend straight away and, after Gandalf and Nori parts ways, the first scene I filmed with it was the one walking through the desert back to Tom Bombadil's hut, and I felt like I was with this new friend with its own energy that would protect and support Gandalf. I'd love it if, when we finish [this series], they'll let me keep it. Maybe they'll let me have the light one, which they made in case I need to wield it, because the other one is pretty big and heavy!"
I'll be bringing you from my chat with Daniel, as well as other cast members, over the next day or two, so keep your eyes fixed on TechRadar. For now, read my article explaining The Rings of Power season 2's ending to learn more about what happened and how it sets up plot threads to come in season 3. Alternatively, see what Weyman and Nori actor Markella Kavenagh had to say about the duo's "bittersweet" parting of ways and whether Weyman thinks a meeting with Sauron will happen any time soon.
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