The Stranger from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Gandalf from The Hobbit

The following contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 8, “Shadow and Flame,” now streaming on Prime Video.

The Season 2 finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power solidified the identity of The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) that had been in question since the beginning of the first season. The actress who played Harfoot Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot, Markella Kavenagh told CinemaBlend it feels “surreal” to talk about the fact that The Stranger was revealed to be none other than the wizard Gandalf.

“It’s very exciting. I don’t think it’s quite hit me until now, just how exciting it is that he’s portraying, you know, Gandalf,” Kavenagh said. “And the fact that I can even say that, because obviously, it’s something that’s been kind of a secret for so long. So yeah, it feels really surreal,” she said.

The Actress Was “Really Overwhelmed”

When Kavenagh learned Weyman was actually portraying Gandalf, she said the child in her was amazed. “My inner child, and the person, the 8-year-old Markella who first heard about Lord of the Rings, is just very surprised at all of this, and I just can’t believe it.” She added, “So, I’m still very much in that headspace of just being so grateful and really overwhelmed by the fact that I get to do this.”

Kavenagh said while she had an inkling about who The Stranger would turn out to be, she did not find out for sure that he was Gandalf until late in the game.

“I’ve had my suspicions for a very long time, like since the first rehearsal, when I asked about it, and they just very much went and sidetracked (me). But, I found out really, really late in the process of filming Season 2,” she said. “I think they really wanted to keep it as under wraps as possible,” Kavenagh added, which made sense because Gandalf or “Grand Elf” as the Stoors called him at the end of Episode 8, did not find out his identity until the end of the season.

The Rings of Power Markella Kavenagh

Gandalf’s Identity Did Not Change Much for Kavenagh

Kavenagh added that knowing Gandalf’s identity did not change her approach to the character. “When it happened, it didn’t make too much of a difference in the sense of how we approach the characters, because at the end of the day, it’s this being who’s going through X, Y, Z, and the same with Nori,” she said. “So, we just focused on our dynamic and the friendship and bringing that story to life. So that was the most important part for us,” she added.

Rings of Power Season 2 Details

Rotten Tomatoes Score
Metacritic Score
IMDB Scores

85%
67
6.9/10

Although Season 3 of The Rings of Power has not been announced, Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke said in a previous interview that she feels “really good” about the future of the show.Over 55 million people have engaged with the show since the start of Season 2 on Aug. 29.

“And if you look at the long-term trajectory, which is how this company looks at an asset like that, this is a long-term investment in that franchise. (…) There’s well over 150 million viewers watching and engaging with the show,” Salke said. “So, I feel really good. I think we all do,” she said. Salke added Amazon will continue to make the show “as long as we see global customers loving and watching it,” and said there is “no debate” about whether the show will continue.

Seasons 1 and 2 of The Rings of Power are currently streaming on Prime Video.