Tanya Moodie, Gavi Singh Chera, and production designer Kristian Milsted preview this new community.
There are still no hobbits inThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Since the show is setin the Second Age of Middle-earth, the lovable Shire-dwellers we know so well fromJ.R.R.
Tanya Moodie as Gundabel in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ season 2.Ross Ferguson/Prime Video
Tolkiens original stories havent quite come into being yet.
There, theyll meet some distant cousins.
These are the stoors, who predate the hobbit-adjacent riverfolk.
Gavi Singh Chera as Merimac in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ season 2.Ross Ferguson/Prime Video
Unlike the harfoots, the stoors are not nomadic.
Thats encoded into the very detailed sets and costumes, which helped the actors understand their characters.
I loved looking at that while we were on set.
Behind-the-scenes shot of the harfoot and stoors characters filming ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ season 2.Ross Ferguson/Prime Video
It made me feel at home with family.
It always helped me get into character as Merimac.
Co-showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D.
We wanted to make something that was very different from the Shire that we’ve seen on screen.
The riverfolk that descend from the stoors will one day produce Smeagol, a.k.a Gollum.
Does that mean we should expect to see Gollum-like characteristics from these characters?
While I was doing it, I was wondering whether or not I’m related to Smeagol.
But I couldn’t justify any sort of narrative like, Oh, Im his great-great-grandmother.'
That felt like a bit of a reach.
In the books, the stoors are known for loving water, Chera says.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2 premieres Aug. 29 on Prime Video.
