The Rings of Power season 3 sees Elrond star Robert Aramayo play a second role, his Elven character's twin brother Elros. In a flashback sequence in the new season, we finally meet the iconic Lord of the Rings character who was a pivotal part of Middle-earth's history.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's works, the twin brothers were given the same choice by the Valar due to their half-Elven heritage: to decide whether they would want to be Elves or Men. Elrond chooses the immortal path, whereas his brother decides to become a man, going on to be the first king of Númenor.
In season 3, we get to see the implications of this choice in a flashback to the First Age. Speaking to GamesRadar+, Aramayo opens up about finding inspiration for playing the new character.
"I looked at Númenóreans in the show and just thought about what kind of person would make the opposite choice, you know," he explains. "But what's cool about them is that they're so similar. They just go a different way."
Aramayo, who has played Elrond since season one, says he actually found an unexpected part of the scene the most difficult. "What was actually hardest about that scene, I thought, was actually playing Elrond because it was like you had to play a sort of younger, more naive, purer Elrond.
"I made the choice that at that point, whilst he's been through so much in captivity and all of this stuff, I think there's a real purity to Elrond, and it was even stronger back then. So you have to sort of like, in some ways, you're almost playing two new characters because it's like because with Elves they've lived for so long."
The Rings of Power season 3 picks up five years after the events of season 2. The Elves and Sauron are now at war as the Dark Lord's power spreads across Middle-earth. And it seems that unexpected alliances are the only thing that may stop the darkness in the new epic season.
The Rings of Power season 3 begins on November 11 with a four-episode premiere. The remaining episodes release in two-episode chunks on Prime Video.
For more, check out our guides to upcoming TV shows and how to watch the Lord of the Rings in order.
