Day Shall Come Again!

For the past few years, Jamie Campbell Bower has been in all-out villain mode – as Stranger Things’ monstrous Vecna, he flayed minds, bodies and souls alike. But as he enters another mammoth streaming series, Bower is switching things up. He’s one of the new cast additions to Season 3 of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, entering the Tolkien-verse in a role that has, until now, been kept tightly under wraps (and much rumoured-over by fans). Empire can finally confirm Bower’s role: meet Celeborn, Elf lord and warrior.

And, notably, the husband of Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel. The character – briefly portrayed in Peter Jackson’s films by Marton Csokas – is something of a “lover-boy”, says Bower. The anti-Vecna, then. How they introduce Celeborn – who canonically married Galadriel in the First Age, and in TROP has been apart from her for centuries – remains to be seen. But their dynamic is partly inspired by Tolkien and his wife, Edith. “This idea of longing and yearning is so pervasive in Tolkien’s relationship with Edith for the time that they were apart,” says Bower. “I really feasted on that idea. Celeborn has had to find a way to survive whilst longing for something that he so dearly loved and so dearly missed as well.” And Clark was more than game to contribute to the pair’s sparkling interplay. “She’s kind of rude to him in the books,” she chuckles. “She’s the queen! But Jamie looks exactly like how I would imagine Celeborn. He’s such an Elf.”

“But my memory reaches back even to the Elder Days. Eärendil was my sire, who was born in Gondolin before its fall; and my mother was Elwing, daughter of Dior, son of Lúthien of Doriath.”

“I will say that your [Frodo’s] choice is right; and though all the mighty elf-friends of old, Hador, and Húrin, and Túrin, and Beren himself were assembled together, your seat should be among them.”

“Your ancestors are impressed that you are an educated woman!”

“Your ancestors are proud that you are thriving in spite of what society did to them and you”

It’s all very sweet! But! Necromancy! Is! Still! Illegal! Your ancestors are going back in the ground!

This is a flashback that Link has of Zelda in Majora's Mask when he retrieves the Ocarina of Time from Skull Kid at the top of the Clock Tower, and it singlehandedly says so much, and all of it very positive, about Link and Zelda's friendship post-oot. This is what Zelda has to say to Link before he leaves:

"You are already leaving this land of Hyrule, aren't you? Even though it's only been a short time, I feel like I've known you forever. I'll never forget the days we spent together in Hyrule. And I believe in my heart that a day will come when I shall meet you again. Until that day comes, please...take this...[Zelda pulls out the Ocarina of Time] I am praying...I am praying that your journey be a safe one. If something should happen to you, remember this song. [Zelda starts playing the Song of Time] This reminds me of us...the goddess of time is protecting you. If you play the song of time, she will aid you..."

There's nothing cold or distant about Zelda's words whatsoever for this entire exchange. This isn't some random stranger she's speaking to or someone she's bound to by duty alone, this is someone who she's formed a close bond with and clearly cares deeply about and in her heart doesn't want him to leave. But despite that she doesn't force him to stay, doesn't even try to convince him with words to stay with her in Hyrule, but simply accepts that this is what Link wants and that she shouldn't try to stop him. Heck, maybe deep down she knows that this journey of Link's is what he needs in order to really heal and grow from his past adventure.

And then she gives him the Ocarina of Time, which far too few people seem to understand the true scope of and what it means. There's no way in the world Zelda would have just handed over the Ocarina of Time, the royal family's priceless treasure, to a complete stranger or someone she didn't trust. Zelda giving Link the Ocarina, not because she had to but simply in the hopes that its power would help and protect Link, displays a profound sense of trust and affection for him on Zelda's part.

She then teaches him the song of time, which Zelda herself says "reminds me of us", a testament to their bond. At the end of the flashback, a dialogue box then appears saying, presumably from Link's own pov, that "this melody, lingering on the edges of your mind, is a song of memories of Princess Zelda." So not only do we have Zelda telling Link that the song of time is their song, we have Link less than a minute later agreeing with what she says. And it's this song, the song of their friendship, that literally saves Link's life.

The game starts with Link searching for a friend. And in doing so, he leaves Zelda behind.

At the end of the game, the Mask's salesman says the following:

"Shouldn't you be returning home"

I want to highlight the word "home" there. Adult Zelda also advised Link that he should return home, and what does Link do? He goes straight to Zelda.

Now. The next part always struck me as curious, because Link was about to leave Termina.

Whenever there is a meeting, a parting shall follow. But that parting need not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short while... that is up to you"

"And I believe in my heart that a day shall come when I will meet you again."

"Shouldn't you be returning home as well? Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. But that parting need not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short while... that is up to you."

Dangers of working on a set.

he would spend multiple days walking overland to locations in full pack, sword, & armour when everyone else was travelling in trucks

refused to use any prop swords that weren’t actual steel

basically lived in the forest in-costume, sleeping rough under the sky, even fishing & foraging for his food when possible

often spent hours in the barn just bonding with the horses. He adopted the horse he rode, Uranus, after filming ended

repaired all his own gear by hand, which was often since he never took it off

had a tooth knocked out during filming but had the crew simply glue it back in place so they could keep filming

the instructor who taught everyone swordplay said Viggo was the best swordsman he had ever trained

carried his sword literally everywhere & practiced non-stop, resulting in the cops being called when locals reported “a wild man swinging a sword around his head" outside a gym in Wellington

an orc actor fucked up & accidentally threw a dagger directly into Viggo’s face, but Viggo just deflected it with his sword. They kept that shot

infamously broke 3 toes kicking that helmet but stayed in-character & sold his very real scream as part of the scene. They also kept that shot

Viggo insists on doing his own stunts; in The Two Towers where Aragorn is unconscious & floating down the river, the strong current pulled him underwater for so long that a rescue team had to go in to save him. Viggo survived by grabbing a boulder on the riverbed and pulling himself to the surface

What are your thoughts on the origins of Ungoliant? Tolkien had a couple of ideas for her after all