Actress and super-fan Felicia Day breaks down getting to host the official The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power podcast, her massive passion for J.R.R. Tolkien's universe, and potentially returning to the Supernatural franchise. After the conclusion of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, the Tolkien franchise finally made its way to the screen, but this time as a television series on Prime Video. Focused on the Second Age, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 finished its run last week, with season 2 currently in production.
While Prime Video has not announced a proper premiere date for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, viewers will be able to get inside the show in the meantime through The Official The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Podcast. As first announced by Screen Rant in early October, the official companion podcast is hosted by a Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer veteran, super-fan Felicia Day, who is no stranger to the Tolkien universe. Having already hosted multiple The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power events, Day became the perfect host to take fans inside the makings of the show with the cast members and creative team.
Screen Rant recently had the distinct honor of chatting with Day about getting to take her fandom to the next level through The Official The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Podcast. In the interview, Day shares her own history with Tolkien's iconic franchise, the day she got the call to host the companion podcast, and her reactions to the many twists and turns in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1. In addition to that, Day speculates where in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 she would fall into if she was ever offered to guest star in the series.
Felicia Day on Hosting The Official Rings of Power Podcast
Screen Rant: I know you're a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings; what is your earliest memory of this beloved franchise?
Felicia Day: I think it's probably the same as a lot of people reading The Hobbit with their parents when they're about 9 or 10. I also remember the animated movie very vividly. I associate Shades of Brown with Tolkien, and thankfully, the Rings of Power has broken that to give me a more broad palette for my visual reference to the Tolkien world.
I know you hosted Rings of Power events and panels, but can you tell me about getting that call to host the official podcast? I'm a fellow podcaster, so I can only imagine what a dream that must be for you as a fan getting to host a show about one of your favorite fandoms.
Felicia Day: Absolutely. I think this is the first big podcast that I've been able to host, and I've always wanted to do [that]. I do a small companion podcast with my friend where we just kind of riff on things very informally. We have a really good time doing that. But I was on vacation in Portugal—actually to be totally honest, I was re-reading The Lord of the Rings to prepare for the Rings of Power to come out. I promise you, I swear it's true! Because I was on vacation. I said, 'What am I going to read?' I had downloaded some books on Portugal that were not very exciting. So I said, 'Let's just prepare for the Rings of Power.' I was in the middle of The Two Towers, and I got the call asking, "Would you be interested in the companion podcast?" and I was so thrilled. I jumped at it. I really did, and it's been such a wonderful journey.
What is the timeline of when you got the call, and when did you guys actually record everything?
Felicia Day: I went on vacation right after San Diego Comic-Con, so it was the last week of July and we started recording immediately. It does take a while, and also watching the episodes, everything was very protected. [When] going in to watch them, I couldn't watch them all at once. They were all spread out, and there was a lot of security about watching them.
It was actually a very exciting eight weeks, or almost two months actually, to be able to watch the show, interview the cast [when] they were all around the world doing premieres. I was recording at some strange hours in the middle of the night and it made it that much more exciting. I felt like it was part of something really, really big and it was just fun to be able to put this together during the whole rollout.
You are literally the first person I am talking to today about the Rings of Power after the finale, so I have to ask you, how did you take that Sauron reveal?
Felicia Day: Yeah, I guess the finale is out, It's out today! I can't believe it. It's been so secretive, so it feels weird to be able to talk about it.
Listen, I was actually was suspicious of Halbrand—only because he was too tall, dark and handsome. If you listen to the podcast, you'll hear that I'm very protective of Galadriel. And I'm like "No, Celeborn, where is he? You have a husband, what's going on?!" The chemistry between those two actors was strong. Even though it wasn't really in the script, I felt like there was chemistry between them, so I was like, "Get away."
But after I interviewed Charlie Vickers for episode 3, I was completely enchanted by him. He is a wonderful, very sensitive, and very down-to-earth actor. Halbrand won me back over, so I almost felt betrayed by the actor for being too charming and for getting me off track in my suspicions of Halbrand. But it was quite a reveal, and I hope that it's as much a surprise to everyone else as it was to me. It wasn't a complete surprise, but it definitely took me aback because there was some legitimate breadcrumbs laid out in other areas that I was easily suspicious of.
I was rooting for Halbrand. I really was hoping for him not to be evil, and yet he deceived us all. Those sweet, mysterious, but precious eyes are now forever going to haunt me. I thought he just had a rough background, and maybe he's not Sauron, but alas.
Felicia Day: I didn't really suspect it, I didn't go there, to be honest with you. But at the same time, I agree with you, and if you rewatch the episodes, you actually will see it. I think I'm on my third rewatch with the family now, and the details are stunning. The performance by Charlie is very layered. He is honest. If you take every single one of his lines, the double meaning and everything that he does is so clever; so well-written and acted. It is worth a rewatch just to watch his performance.
I absolutely agree. I'm looking forward to now rewatching and just seeing all the other hints and the little corners that we had. Let's say you get the call to appear in season 2. Where in the Rings of Power universe do you see yourself?
Felicia Day: Wow, I mean, I have to say that I have always said I'm an elf. I actually wrote and starred in web series based in the world of Dragon Age [Redemption] as an elf assassin, so of course, I would say elf. I would have to admit that my spirit is probably more of Harefoot. I'm more of a dorky happy twigs-in-her-hair lady than a put-together elf. But you know, let's just go with my fantasy and say elf.
Now to flip it on the other side of that. Is there a Lord of the Rings you would want to tell if you could write or direct an episode next season?
Felicia Day: Thinking about that, I love Beren and Lúthien, I love that story. There are some things that are not in the timeline that I would love [to see]. There's a story about a king on Numenor and his wife who was like, 'You can't go to sea again,' and he kept doing it. He was like, 'I'll never see you again.' That story is amazing, too. Tolkien is so deep and rich, there are so many stories to be mined in this particular timeline. I have to be like, 'Where is Celeborn? Where is Galadriel's husband? When do they get to get together?' I want to see that, I want it to be an epic romance because it did feel like an epic romance in the books. So I have no doubt. I mean, in my own canon, we will see him sometime in the show. But I would love to see that happen on screen. I'd love to be a part of making that romance swell.
Based on what you're saying, it sounds like, like myself, you're a fellow shipper. Is that fair to say?
Felicia Day: Yeah, I guess so. I like romance. I like people liking each other. That's why I love Tolkien. We've been through a lot of reductive fantasy for many years now, and it's all great. George RR Martin, Joe Abercrombie is that sort of really edgy fantasy. I love it all. But it's very refreshing to go back to the roots of all fantasy, where there's earnestness; it's about friendship and good and evil. But this is the source, and it feels pure and sweet and real, I love it.
When making this podcast and talking to the people behind the show, they're adapting lore that is so well known but adding so much new material to this beloved universe. Were there certain aspects of doing the podcast that you loved to get into that that you hadn't seen in the books or movies before?
Felicia Day: I just love seeing the elves brought to life. If you've read The Silmarillion, it's a little dry because it's a lot of facts, and the world-building is fascinating. and But I understand that there's not a lot of character interactions that you're like, 'Oh, that's bringing it to life.' You have to have the specifics of characters and scenes and see how they talk to each other to really bring things to life. That's what I love, especially the Elven part of this, just seeing Galadriel and Elrond figuring out how to do what they're doing. It is exciting, and it makes them real.
One of my favorite relationships is Durin and Disa; that sort of domestic groundedness in reality really makes everything feel like it's truly happening. It's not fantasy, it's not just makeup - literal makeup - it is people having issues who happened to have pointy ears, are short, and have big beards. That's what I love, and I think that the Rings of Power does really well; it grounds fantasy and a reality that makes it believable and very immersive.
I think 10 years ago, the idea of doing The Lord of the Rings on television would feel absolutely surreal. But given where we are with technology today, and you have had the honor of seeing Ring of Power earlier. What do you think makes the world of television a perfect platform for the Tolkien universe versus the films, which of course, are obviously great in their own rights?
Felicia Day: Absolutely. You're adapting a piece of work that fans have spent tons of hours in. So the details and the richness of the world it's the same with video games, right? Doing a video game and a movie doesn't feel like it'll ever do it justice because the fans who love that property have spent so much time there, and in order to compact the story beats, and the characters in a feature-length, you really have to drop a lot. There's so much missing, and the richness of it isn't there. Because when you are in a world that you disappear into almost and really believe in that you really want to see the minutiae, and you just don't have time for it in a movie.
For me, even though there is compression with the timeline and all that stuff, the pace that we're learning about these days, we're learning about the people and a more in-depth thing. We're not just glossing over those character moments that would inevitably be cut to get to the big battles and story points if you had to make it even more compressed.
I know exactly how rewarding and expansive it must be to do a companion podcast can be for a show like Rings of Power. Back in the day, when you were watching your favorite TV shows and movies, was there a franchise that you personally wish there had been a companion podcast for, because the medium has really expanded, especially in the last 10 years or so.
Felicia Day: Oh, for sure. Listen, I was obsessed with Star Trek: The Next Generation as a child. I wanted to marry all the men [laughs]. I really had crushes, and I wanted to be an ensign so badly, so I would have eaten that up. I would have listened to a companion podcast to Friends. It was a college thing for me that was literally the thing that gave me the joy to watch an episode of that when I was taking 18 credits a semester. I do love the insight, I love just thinking about a world or a piece of work in a different way.
What I loved about interviewing the actors and crew members on this is that I really learned more about the show in a new way in every single episode. Not only just humanizing the actors because this is new for them to all of that it's a huge show and learning their experience and what they had to go through to get these incredible shots, how long they had to shoot was fascinating [about] who they were, as people. It really makes me want to see their characters on screen a lot more and just the artisanship of how the show is made.
The hour with the showrunners is probably the most exciting interview I've ever done because not only do I learn things about the show that I've watched a lot that I would never have noticed had we not talked about it, but just the labor of love the details, and the sheer scale of the show. Getting that on a human level really made me want to go rewatch the show again, which I've done and appreciate even more now.
I know when talking to writers or showrunners when they validate or confirm your theories and how rewarding that must feel. Did you have any moments like that where you showed that you were catching on to what they were trying to do?
Felicia Day: It's nice just seeing little Easter eggs, like some of the statues. I don't want to give anything away, but the statues definitely had Easter eggs in them, like Eärendil was the big guy when you're going to Numenor. And I was like, 'Oh yeah, I see the silmaril on his forehead.' I felt really clever, but there were many Easter eggs that I didn't see. Because I'm not a huge Easter egg observer; I'm not that keen. I'll be driving down the street. I'll be like, 'Oh, where'd that building come from?'
So, it's great to be able to get that pointed out, and the showrunners dropped a couple that just made me squeeze in delight. I really encourage you to listen to that and then go and look back at some things because boy, oh boy, is it fun to see those because there are a lot of them in every episode for sure.
I'm looking forward to what they're gonna say about The Stranger now that we know he's an Istari. It makes me go, 'Is that Gandalf or are they trying to throw me off?' They were really toying with us and making me think he was Sauron, but that was almost more upsetting than Halbrand being him, feeling 'No, this sweet old man protecting the Harfoots, it has to be someone else.'
Felicia Day: Yeah, in episode 7, I think I cried more watching an episode of TV than anything. That was specifically around his story points, and I got to interview Daniel Weyman last weekend at New York Comic Con. He was on the panel, and what a delightful, charming, wonderful actor. What I hope most in season 2 is that I just hear his voice more because he is incredible and has such as a pure, lovely spirit. That comes across in his performance.
But honestly, it is the theme of Tolkien in that 'Yeah, your friends are gonna keep you on the good or evil,' right? You could see him hanging around with bad guys, and he might go to the evil side because he's so pure. I think that's very, very Tolkien-esque as far as a theme of good and evil, how easily one could go either way, and how friendship keeps you on the right path or the wrong one.
Personally, if you had to theorize, who do you think he is?
Felicia Day: There were a couple of lines that I was like, 'Is this Gandalf?!' But at the same time, they're going to an area that we know that the blue wizards went to in the past, so in the end, Nori and The Stranger are going there. So I don't know, I feel like it could go either way. I know the showrunners were still being a little coy about it. Honestly, either way, is fine because we're talking about beings who are 1000s of years old. Sometimes, if we're talking about looking purist and you're looking at the canon, what is the best story to tell in this thing - I would be excited either way.
Seeing The Stranger and Nori together, it gave me such a Bilbo/Gandalf and Sam/Frodo/Gandalf vibe. This feels so familiar but also feels like a whole new adventure.
Felicia Day: Oh, I can not wait to see where they go, I literally am so excited. I got my map out. I was like, 'Where? Where are they going? What's over there?' We don't know, it's territory that we haven't explored, and that's what's so exciting about the show. They're so reverential to the source material, and yet we're diving into areas where it is right for playing around in a way, and I'm very excited.
As a general fan, the Rings of Power could be the next Supernatural and go on for 15 seasons because there is so much unexplored territory here, and hopefully, the wait for season 2 won't be too long.
Felicia Day: The showrunners hinted at things that they're thinking about in the end of the last episode, so I encourage you to definitely listen to that one. It's a great, great hour of [the podcast] I could have interviewed them for hours and hours. They take this seriously, and they love the source material. You could just hear it in their voice, they want to do it right. The necessities of storytelling they have to compress things, they have to change things around a little bit, but the reverence with that they approached the story, it really made me admire them and what they've done even more
Well, hopefully, you will be chatting more with them because I'm assuming there will be a season two of the podcast, or is that too early to say?
Felicia Day: I can't say one way or another, I could only hope. They're certainly shooting season 2, so I'd love to dive back into this world as long as they will have me.
I hope you get to do a set visit this time. I know that when the first season was filming, it was during COVID, so I am sure that was a lot more challenging.
Felicia Day: Yes, I would love to do a set visit; let's put that out there in the world, yes, please!
If the showrunners are reading this interview at Screen Rant, it will enhance the host's experience to visit set and just take in the world you are creating. For people reading this interview and finding out for the first time that Felicia Day is hosting the official Rings of Power podcast, is there anything you want to say to them?
Felicia Day: Yes, absolutely. I really hope people jump to listen to it just for the pure Tolkien-nerdism of it all. And yes, you could go to Amazon Music. It's free to download there. All the episodes are up now, and I'm very excited for people. I know one person is probably going to correct me somehow on something I said, and I'm excited to get that tweet! [laughs]
People being unreasonable on Twitter, that would never happen!
Felicia Day: We pay too much attention to people because it's 100 to 1 of positive to negative. So I really appreciate everyone listening, and I really hope that it gives a deeper dive into the world and the show that never would have [by] just having watched it; that would really be my goal.
What do you have coming up in terms of other projects that we can look forward to?
Felicia Day: I do have several projects I can not talk about right now. The sad part is that this [podcast,] this exciting thing is that I'm focused on this right now. But I am literally in production on three other things right now that I can't talk about, and I'm very excited about them. They will be out next year or maybe the year after. And I will say that COVID gave me the opportunity to create things that I'm very proud of, and I'm excited for people to listen to or see or read., who knows? [laughs]
Is there any chance that one of these mystery projects could be revisiting the world of Supernatural? There is The Winchesters show that just premiered on The CW...
Felicia Day: It's a prequel, but the showrunner is Robbie Thompson, who created my character Charlie so believe me, I would jump at any opportunity to be in the world of Supernatural again. In fact, I haven't done a lot of on-camera acting since shooting the last episode of Supernatural because the day after I flew back from Vancouver, that was lockdown [for the pandemic] I was supposed to fly back up and do a couple of scenes in the finale, but they couldn't fly any actors backup, and so they had to do it without the ensemble there, which is my biggest regret, my biggest anger which is kind of shallow for a pandemic that affects a lot of people.
But I haven't really pursued a lot of on-camera up until now because, honestly I just don't know if there's a character out there like Charlie for me, and I would hate to just be disappointed, but I'm willing to jump back in next year. I've been blessed with so many other kinds of jobs, hosting, podcasting, streaming, and things like that. I think enough time has passed that I'm excited to jump back in and do my hair again for once! [laughs]
Maybe Charlie had some family members that used to hang out with The Winchesters, I am just saying.
Felicia Day: Listen, put it in the air! I like your manifestation Andy, I love it; give me some of that.
About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Power
Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.
Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.
Check out our interviews with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power cast at SDCC 2022, as well as with:
- Morfydd Clark, Charlie Vickers & Tyroe Muhafidin
- Robert Aramayo, Sara Zwangobani, Cynthia Addai-Robinson & Daniel Weyman
- Maxim Baldry & Lloyd Owen
- Ismael Cruz Córdova & Nazanin Boniadi
- Benjamin Walker
- Bear McCreary
- Wayne Che Yip
- Ron Ames
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 is streaming exclusively on Prime Video, and all the episodes of the official podcast with Felicia Day are now available on Amazon Music.