‘Rings of Power’ star Daniel Weyman didn’t know the mysterious Stranger’s identity: ‘Absolutely not’
People are strange, when you’re a stranger.
Daniel Weyman, who plays a man known as The Stranger on Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” said that he’s been in the dark about his character’s identity — along with the audience.
“No, absolutely not,” Weyman, 47, told The Post, about whether he was informed when he landed the role.
Season 2 of “The Rings of Power” premieres Thursday, Aug. 29.
Set thousands of years before the events of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of The Rings” movie trilogy, “The Rings of Power” follows the Elves Galadriel (Cate Blanchett in the films, Morfydd Clark in the show), Elrond (Hugo Weaving in the films, Robert Aramayo here), and other characters, including the Dwarf Durin (Owain Arthur), the Harfoot — a type of Hobbit — Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh), and The Stranger (Weyman).
In Season 1, The Stranger was a mysterious man who fell out of the sky.
He had no memory about his own life or identity, he barely talked, and he ended up traveling with Nori and her friend, Poppy (Megan Richards).
It was later revealed that he’s an Istar/Istari, or a wizard.
When the first season aired, fans speculated that The Stranger could be a number of iconic “Lord of the Rings” characters such as Sauron, Sarumon, Gandalf or a Blue Wizard (characters from Tolkien’s writings). He could also be a brand-new character.
His true identity remains a mystery going into Season 2 as he continues traveling with Nori and Poppy.
“I didn’t even know he’s an Istar,” said Weyman.
“The process was really — whether it was the showrunners seeing the way I worked, or thinking this is the best way to come at scenes, we were lucky to largely film it chronologically. I don’t think it was some sort of uber secrecy.”
In Season 2, The Stranger remains an enigma, but he’s much chattier.
“Part of the way that I like to work is to sort of deep dive, just start reading stuff and see where it takes me. With [J. R. R Tolkien], the great thing is there’s no end, you can read his works, unpublished stuff, letters, things other people have written,” said Weyman.
He added, “But I got to a place where I felt that I would just hold off reading anymore. Because I didn’t want to play that he had that knowledge. The showrunners were quite keen that he hadn’t gotten [his memories] back, and this was going to be a long process. So, there are bits where we’re waiting to go deeper into it, as things come up, which will be fun.”
Weyman said that he also read “about the beginning of time.”
“I thought it was useful to have that somewhere in the core of him, but he doesn’t understand,” he explained.
During the first season when he hardly spoke, Weyman said that felt like Nori and Poppy “allowed the Stranger space to speak with his body or eyes. He wasn’t just a dog on a leash going somewhere, they involved him. It was a real gift to play a character who just has to listen.”
He continued, “In a way, it took all the pressure off me. All I had to do was be there with these great actors in this amazing landscape, with my own wizened beard and crazy hair and wonderful costume. So I felt like, actually, I didn’t really have much acting to do.”
Now in Season 2, the audience “weirdly knows the Stranger more fully than any other character, because he didn’t have a memory beyond the Middle Earth landing,” he said.
Weyman added that witnessing “scenes of love or tenderness or friendship within the Harfoot community” were “foundational experiences” for the Stranger.
So, when people look back on the character “in however many years, they’ll go ‘that’s where that came from,” he said.
Now that The Stranger talks more in Season 2, “I was quite keen to make sure the dialogue came from the same spot, that deep point, as opposed to coming from the brain point where someone’s got it all figured out,” said Weyman.
