‘The Rings of Power’: Gil-galad Actor Benjamin Walker Reveals His Favorite Episode Due to ‘Selfish’ Reasons
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has aired its first three episodes on Amazon Prime Video. The story is still developing, but the visuals and production design have been extraordinary. Actor Benjamin Walker, who plays Gil-galad, shares his favorite episode of The Rings of Power, and it is one we have already seen.
Benjamin Walker plays Gil-galad in ‘The Rings of Power’
In The Rings of Power, Walker plays Gil-galad, the High King of the Elves. We are introduced to Gil-galad in the first episode of the series. In the first episode, Gil-galad honors Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and her troops after declaring an end to the war. As a token of honor, Gil-galad awards with a journey back to their home of Valinor, where Elves can live in eternal bliss.
However, Galadriel jumps ship as her mission to defeat Sauron has not been completed. Meanwhile, Gil-galad revealed that he still believes something sinister is on the horizon, but he wants the other elves to believe they are in a time of peace. Gil-galad won’t be happy with Galadriel once she returns, as most people do not reject a gift bestowed by the king.
Walker says the first episode is his favorite for a ‘selfish reason’
In an interview with Collider, Walker revealed which episode of the first season is his favorite. The actor says the first episode of The Rings of Power is his favorite because it introduces audiences to Gil-galad. It also establishes the story and the world, giving viewers a tease of what to expect this season.
“Probably the first one because it’s gonna be the first time you meet Gil-galad, you know, selfishly,” Walker says. “It is the establishing episode naturally, where we’re learning the vocabulary, the visual vocabulary of the series. And everyone’s just gonna have this nervous release of ‘OK, here we go. We’re going on this journey.’ It’s the first step and after that, like Tolkien’s book, it just cascades like a snowball.”
While the first episode sets up many of the various pieces of the series, it does have a slower pace compared to the second and third episodes. Like Lord of the Rings, all the characters and parties involved in the plot are established in the beginning so that everything can connect down the line. It’s visually astonishing, and it does an excellent job at bringing viewers back to Middle Earth.
Walker shares his favorite moment from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy
Besides the books, many viewers fell in love with Tolkien’s world through Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. It has plenty of amazing moments, but Walker still found a way to make his favorite scene about him. While Gil-galad does not appear in the movies, Walker still finds a way to make his favorite moment about the character.
“I like that time Sam (Sean Astin) sings that song about Gil-galad,” Walker answers jokingly.
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
