‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’: Arondir Actor Ismael Cruz Córdova Also Appeared in ‘The Mandalorian’
Ismael Cruz Cordova plays Arondir, a new character in Amazon‘s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. However, the actor may seem familiar as he has appeared in several TV shows before this, including The Mandalorian. Still, it would have been hard to recognize him in the Star Wars universe under the layers of prosthetics he wore for his character.
Who is Arondir in ‘The Rings of Power’?
Arondir is a new character in the Middle Earth franchise. He is an elf who helped ensure the humans in the Southlands did not turn to evil by aligning with Morgoth. During his time with the humans, he fell in love with Bronwyn, who lives in Tirharad. While Arondir was informed to leave his station after a long period of peace, he stayed to investigate a mysterious hole that led to a secret hoard of orcs that are now keeping him prisoner.
Ismael Cruz Cordova plays Arondir in The Rings of Power. According to his IMDb page, Cordova is a rising star and will likely break out with this role. The actor has also appeared in The Undoing, Mary Queen of Scots, and Ray Donavan. For two years, he voiced a character named Mando on Sesame Street. While that character has no relation to the Star Wars series, Cordova did appear in one episode of The Mandalorian.
Ismael Cruz Cordova appeared in an episode of ‘The Mandalorian’
Lord of the Rings is not the only franchise Cordova has been a part of. He had a small role in The Mandalorian as Qin, a purple Twi’lek who was arrested by the New Republic in “The Prisoner” episode in season 1. The actor was covered in many prosthetics, so it would be hard to recognize him under all the costuming.
The character had a previous rivalry with The Mandalorian before encountering him in this episode. However, Mando is sent on a mission with a ragtag team to break him out of prison. At the end of the episode, it’s unclear if Qin is alive or dead, so who knows if Cordova could ever return as the character.
Cordova prefers ‘The Lord of the Rings’ over ‘Star Wars’
Through playing Arondir in The Rings of Power, Cordova becomes a rare actor to join two massive universes. In an interview with Glamour, the actor says he loves both franchises but prefers Lord of the Rings because it made him believe he could one day be successful in the entertainment industry.
“I grew up with the older Star Wars movies, but there was something about Lord of the Rings when I first experienced the cinematic universe that connected with me more,” Cordova shares. “I think it’s also the aspect that I grew up quite poor, and in many ways struggling. That was around the time when I started washing cars and cutting lawns and all sorts of work to be able to buy myself a TV and a little DVD player. The Lord of the Rings had come out on DVD, and I had the behind-the-scenes.”
“I was having all these desires and questions about this world that I’m now in, of entertainment,” Cordova continues. “And it was the first time that I got a glimpse at not only an epic tale but the behind-the-scenes. I got to see the design and all the work that went into it, and it had a huge impact on me. That’s when I understood I could live in this space, whatever shape or form it would be. That I could make it my life.”
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
