Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power creator J. D. Payne revealed that The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) was inspired by a few unexpected sources. Amazon's big-budget The Rings of Power TV series premiered on September 1, and tells the history of the Second Age of Middle-earth. Loosely based on J. R. R. Tolkien's appendices of The Lord of the Rings, the series received a relatively positive reception from critics but received mixed reviews from audiences. The Rings of Power wrapped up its first season on October 14, and a second season is currently filming.
The Rings of Power featured several familiar characters, such as Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Benjamin Walker), but also introduced a slew of new faces. One new character that the series debuted was The Stranger. He made an explosive entrance in the first episode when he crash lands from the sky in a meteor. As the series progressed, it became clear that he had magical powers. However, the mystery of his character wasn't solved until the season finale when The Stranger proved to be a powerful and intriguing wizard shrouded in mystery and portrayed emotionally by Weyman.
While appearing on Amazon's Official The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Podcast, Payne revealed the surprising sources the show drew inspiration from for The Stranger. Payne explained that they were looking for silent characters who evoked empathy to model The Stranger after. They drew inspiration from Charlie Chaplin, silent actor Buster Keaton, E.T., and the Iron Giant. In doing so, they could create a silent character the audience could root for. Check out Payne's statement below:
There is something about his performance in that your heart just goes out to him, you want to root for him. When he is dangerous for her to be around, or a danger to himself, or to others, you’re devastated in a way, you feel terrible. We talked about Chaplin, and Buster Keaton, and we talked about E.T. and The Iron Giant, these are silent characters who evoke an enormous amount of pathos and empathy and emotion. We aspired to that kind of connection with The Stranger, and doing that with somebody who, in the end, proves to be a wizard, again, seemed potentially delightful to us. The fact that we found actors who could bring it to life in a way that is a million times more emotional and authentic than we ever could have hoped is just chance meetings, it’s pure luck. [Chuckles]
The Stranger Is One Of Rings Of Power's Most Intriguing Characters
While audiences might be surprised that the mysterious and potentially dangerous man Stranger was inspired by some rather light and comedic sources, it seemed to have worked well as he proved to be one of the show's most interesting characters. The Stranger's presence created an ongoing mystery throughout the season. His identity is unknown to those around them, and he also seems to be confused about it himself. Meanwhile, he is largely silent, only speaking to utter a few words. Additionally, he is extremely powerful, but there are hints there might be some evil in him. All of these factors combined to keep viewers interested in The Stranger as they made guesses as to who he may be, with many thinking he could be Sauron throughout the events of the first season.
The season finale of The Rings of Power partially revealed his identity. However, it was more a reveal about what he is rather than who he specifically is. Hence, the mystery of The Stranger will continue to intrigue viewers, as questions about whether he is a major Lord of the Rings character are teased in The Rings of Power. The Stranger is expected to have a very prominent role in The Rings of Power season 2 as he continues his journey with the Harfoot Nori (Markella Kavenagh). Even though his sources of inspiration were unexpected, The Stranger is a character that works well in The Rings of Power and the intrigue and mystery surrounding him are likely to carry over into season 2.
Source: Prime Video