Cynthia Addai-Robinson Teases Míriel & Pharazôn’s Journey in ‘Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ Season 2: “Their Dynamic Is One To Watch”

If you’re a TV fan, chances are you are familiar with Cynthia Addai-Robinson. She’s had standout roles in Spartacus, Arrow, Shooter, Chicago Med, and Power, but her highest profile gig is on Prime Video’s Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. She plays Tar-Míriel, the queen-regent of Númenor who reigns over the kingdom in place of her dying father. Initially wary of Galadriel and Halbrand when they wash up in Númenor, she eventually accompanies them to the Southlands with her army to help them complete their mission. When Orodruin erupts, Míriel is blinded by its ash and receives word that her father has died, making her the queen.

“At the end of season one, we know that Míriel is suffering multiple losses,” says Addai-Robinson. “For Míriel and myself, it’s important to convey strength, even if you don’t necessarily fully have it.” One person she looks to for strength? Ar-Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), who is her cousin and confidante. Any J.R.R. Tolkien fan knows that in the novels Míriel is forced to marry Pharazôn at one point in the story. However, Addai-Robinson was careful not to give away any spoilers. “Their dynamic is one to watch this season.”

Addai-Robinson also praised the creative team behind the series. “I’m always excited to see how our dear showrunners and writers take the Tolkien canon and craft it into our show,” gushed Addai-Robinson. “They have the difficult job of making sure that they guide the story along the right path.” In addition to adapting the Tolkien work, the production crew must bring its characters to life. “I’m always in awe of heavy prosthetics,” said Addai-Robinson. “The teams have incredible skill sets that help them create and interpret Tolkien’s characters for audiences.”

Addai-Robinson stopped by the DECIDER studio to talk about the new season of The Rings Of Power, the upcoming sequel to the surprise hit, The Accountant, and more.

DECIDER: Your character, Míriel, is returning from the Season 1 battle in Mordor now physically blind. How did you prepare for that challenge in Season 2? And how does this change Míriel’s role in Númenor?

CYNTHIA ADDAI-ROBINSON: At the end of season one, we know that Míriel is suffering multiple losses. She has lost in battle and has to face the people of Númenor and answer to them. She’s lost her father, the king. She will go from queen regent to queen, presumably, and she’s lost her vision. She’s been physically weakened. For Míriel and myself, it’s important to convey strength, even if you don’t necessarily fully have it. Míriel knows she must lead by example to gain support as she moves forward. Season two is about how she overcomes all of these losses and challenges.

In Tolkien’s works, Tar-Míriel eventually is forced into marriage with Ar-Pharazôn. Can you tease what Míriel and Pharazôn’s relationship might look like in Season 2?

So, for those who are Tolkien heads—or know the lore well— corruption creeps in as the story progresses. Míriel’s cousin Pharazôn, while under an evil influence, is looking to take power as he sees fit. He has a different vision for Númenor, separate from what Míriel believes. I’m always excited to see how our dear showrunners and writers take the Tolkien canon and craft it into our show. They have the difficult job making sure they guide the story along the right path. I will be curious to see how the characters of Míriel and Pharazôn evolve.

I’m trying to not be spoiler-y. See me doing the delicate dance of like, “what can I say? What can I not say?” [Laughs] Their relationship is really interesting because again, in terms of who she can confide in or who would understand the position she’s in, Pharazôn is one of the very few at the top along with her. Their dynamic is one to watch this season. That’s how I will put it.

What’s your favorite thing about working with Trystan Gravelle?

I love Trystan. Trystan is so jovial with a huge laugh. He’s a Welshman who always has a funny story. We have a great time together. Again, we are telling a story—especially in season two—that can sometimes go to a very dark place. We like to make sure during breaks on set that we keep things light and loose. We work very closely together this season. I also work very closely with Lloyd Owen. I have a nice little group. Personally, of all the different parts of Middle-earth, Númenor is the place that I love. We have a very comfortable set. Other people are in the literal trenches and out there in the elements. Númenor is very dignified, very classy.

Many of your co-stars are saddled with a ton of prosthetics, whether it be the Harfoots’ feet or Elves’ ears. Your character is human, though. Are you jealous of any of your co-stars’ makeup?

Jealous? No [laughs]. I’m always in awe of heavy prosthetics. The actors who play the dwarves immediately come to mind. They probably have to wake up at 2AM or 3AM. The people that do the creature work? Some have to have liquid lunches through a straw. So, I am jealous? No [laughs].

My own challenge—which they would all laugh at me and say, “that’s nothing”—is that I’ve got a lot going on in the costume world. Even though I am human, or as I like to say, human plus, because we are descended from elves, the wigs and corsetry are their own situation. Wearing a corset has its own challenges around lunchtime or when you’re just hanging out. It’s hard to hang out in a corset [laughs].

You wear some headpieces in Season 1 that had to be migraine inducing.

Well, it makes you think. Throughout history, people have endured corsetry, powdered wigs, and what not. That pageantry is incredible, but the people also lived to, like, 30. They had to make the most of that shorter lifespan [laughs]. We have incredible art and costume departments that do a great job with hair and make-up. The teams have incredible skill sets that help them create and interpret Tolkien’s characters for audiences. The cast is just happy to be the canvas for their art.

I do want to ask you about the upcoming sequel to The Accountant. Were you surprised to learn that you would be returning to that world, or did you suspect Mary Beth’s story wasn’t over?

I had hoped that her story wasn’t over. I mean, her story wasn’t over for me. It’s special to have The Accountant circling back into my life after eight years. I can’t believe it’s been that long. Over the years, so many people would tell me how much they love the movie, how it was their favorite movie, which is always a nice thing to hear. I can’t say much, but I’m very happy to be part of it. We have a lot of the returning people from the first one: our same director, Gavin [O’Connor], same writer, Bill [Dubuque], Ben [Affleck], Jon [Bernthal]. I am so proud and so excited for people to see this movie. We just wrapped a few weeks ago. I genuinely can say I had the best time working on it with such incredible people, both in front of and behind the camera.

At the end of the first film, J.K. Simmons’ Ray King hands over the responsibility of handling Christian Wolff to Mary Beth. You and J.K built such an incredible rapport between your characters. Will he be back for more?

So J.K. does return, but I can’t say anything else [laughs]. I can’t give away any spoilers! However, I think the fact that all these great actors are ready to jump back into the world of The Accountant speaks to strength of the story and the strength of Gavin’s vision. Just expect the unexpected [laughs].

You’ve worked on shows with huge fanbases like The Rings Of Power, Arrow, Power, Chicago Med, Spartacus —which fanbase is the most reverent and why?

Ooh, that’s a good question. Most of the time, I fly under the radar. I’m able to walk around whatever city I may be in and people don’t necessarily spot me. However, when they do come up to me, I’m always interested to see what’s the show they are going to say they’ve watched. I’m really lucky because the shows I’ve done really inspired passionate fans for different reasons. Most projects I’ve worked on manage to tap into something special for someone. They all endure. Even Spartacus, which was one of the first things I did. They’re now getting ready to do a prequel series. I’m still very close to my Spartacus cast.

Personally, I also get invested in a world and its story and its characters. I know exactly how people feel when they come up to me. I am glad to have been involved in something that’s important to somebody else. All of the shows you mentioned were great experiences for me. I came away with friends that I’ll have for the rest of my life and with satisfaction of being part of an important creative moment.

The first three episodes of Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power are now streaming on Prime Video