‘The Rings of Power’: Why Robert Aramayo Says Playing Elrond Was ‘Overwhelming’

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set thousands of years before the main events of the trilogy. However, there are still a few familiar characters, including Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo). Robert Aramayo has the honor of portraying Elrond in The Rings of Power on Amazon, and the actor says the experience was overwhelming.

Robert Aramayo plays Elrond in ‘The Rings of Power’

Many Lord of the Rings fans know Elrond from J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels and Peter Jackson’s trilogy. Portrayed by Hugo Weaving in Jackson’s trilogy, Elrond is a mighty Elf-ruler who served as the Lord of Rivendell. Elrond assisted in the defeat of Sauron but was unable to destroy the One Ring after Isildur became seduced by the power of the ring and refused to destroy it. 

During The Fellowship of the Ring, Elron held the council where it was decided to form the fellowship and destroy the ring. In The Rings of Power, Elrond is the herald of Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) and has a friendship with Galadriel. Elrond will become more essential later in the series as the rings become more prevalent since he possessed Vilya, the Ring of Air. 

Robert Aramayo says playing Elrond was ‘overwhelming’

Aramayo is not an inexperienced actor, but he understands the expectations that come with playing Elrond. In an interview with Collider, Aramayo says there are multiple reasons why portraying Elrond is overwhelming. Not only has the character been portrayed by another actor, but Elrond is also a complicated character. 

“Yeah, there’s no doubt it’s a really big undertaking and it can be overwhelming, but I think that’s true for Elrond, as well,” Aramayo shares. “He’s at a point in his life where the most famous deeds that he would be known are that of his family. He’s in a situation where his brother created a country, essentially. His parents saved the world. That’s a lot of pressure on him. At certain points, it’s useful in lots of ways. It’s intimidating and scary, wanting people to like it, but also Mr. Tolkien and what he intended. I really love Elrond and I’ve always been super interested in him. Whilst I’m his custodian, I just wanna do the best I can.”

Aramayo used Tolkien’s book to make playing Elrond more simple

Middle Earth is filled with endless amounts of lore and information that can be overwhelming to any newcomer. Even playing Elrond demands a knowledge of the character’s past and place in the world. Prior to playing Elrond in The Rings of Power, Aramayo reveals he read many of Tolkien’s novels, especially the First Age of Middle Earth, to make the story seem less daunting. 

“Always for me, it was the books. I have a real passion, especially for First Age Tolkien, with The Silmarillion, Fall of Gondolin, Children of Húrin, and Beren and Lúthien,” Aramayo explains. “Those books were my bible. Elrond doesn’t feature in the First Age, but if you’re trying to determine something about his direct past, then you can find it in there. I think Tolkien’s themes are so strong in his First Age work. You can learn a lot about what he intended in certain moments by looking at some of that work. That was always really useful.”

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.