Why ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Star Benjamin Walker Looks Familiar
While many of the characters in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are new, the actors who portray them might look familiar. One recognizable actor in The Rings of Power is Benjamin Walker, who plays Gil-galad, the High King of the Elves. Walker has an impressive filmography that includes roles in many movies and TV shows. Here is where you may have seen Benjamin Walker before The Rings of Power.
Benjamin Walker plays Gil-galad in ‘The Rings of Power’
Gil-galad is a new character introduced in The Rings of Power. He is the High King of the Elves and works closely with Elrond (Robert Aramayo). In episode 1, Gil-galad declared the war against Morgoth to be over and commanded Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and her troops to return home. However, Gil-galad still believes there is darkness on the horizon but wants his people to believe there is peace.
This is the first time Gil-galad has appeared on screen, but the character has been mentioned beforehand. In The Lord of the Rings, Sam (Sean Astin) sings a song that briefly mentions Gil-galad. The Rings of Power marks the first time Middle Earth fans see the character brought to life.
What else has Benjamin Walker starred in?
Before appearing in The Rings of Power, Walker starred in several popular movies and TV shows. His theatrical debut came in 2004 when he played a young Kinsey in Kinsey. Many of his other movies Flags of Our Fathers, The Choice, and The Ice Road. His most famous role is as Abraham Lincoln in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. While the title is absurd, many audiences enjoyed the historical fantasy that featured the 16th president emancipating vampires from life.
In the realm of television, Walker starred in The Undergound Railroad, Traitors, and season 3 of Netflix’s Jessica Jones. In Jessica Jones, Walker plays Erik Gelden, a.k.a. Mind-Wave, a gambler with empathic abilities. It’s unconfirmed if Jessica Jones is canon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but maybe Walker could return to this Marvel role in the future.
Walker is a passionate fan of Tolkien’s work
It’s not a requirement that The Rings of Power cast know Tolkien’s work, but it is helpful, especially when playing a character as essential as Gil-galad. In an interview with Screen Rant, Walker revealed that he’s been a fan of Tolkien’s novels for a long time as a love of Tolkien has run in his family.
“My brother is older than me and infinitely more intelligent and the first book he ever gave me was The Hobbit. It was my first big boy book,” Walker said. “Since then, we’ve had this kind of familial experience of Tolkien’s writing. I mean, I love the cartoon for crying out loud, I love the Peter Jackson movies, anything about it, I can get my hands on, I want to study and be immersed in. It’s a real pleasure to have found myself in a job where they pay me to read Tolkien.”
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
