Film Geek Guy’s Matthew Escosia spoke to Leon Wadham, star of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”, to discuss the show’s third season, which recently premiered on Prime Video.
The Kiwi actor plays Kemen, the young nobleman who has gone to great lengths across the show to earn the approval of his powerful father, Pharazôn, the King of Númenor.
What should audiences expect on Kemen’s journey moving forward? And what could happen in that time jump early in season three? Read the full interview below.
This interview has been lightly edited for publication.
Matthew Escosia: There's a significant time jump between seasons two and three of “The Rings of Power”. How did the shift change your approach to playing Kemen this season?
Leon Wadham: It didn't change anything, but the fact that five years had passed was significant across the board. In Kemen's case, he'd left essentially in exile. He was being punished and was treating this punishment as a promotion. He turns up going, "I've been assigned to establish a stronghold for my father, and I'm going to do an incredible job, and through my success I will achieve the respect and the standing I've been craving." So, we return to him on his way back home. In his mind, he's proven himself, and almost immediately he's given a new assignment. His success or failure with this new task will determine his fate.
Following Kemen has been an emotional ride. I've gone from thinking "how should I trust him" to "why should I trust Kemen in the first place?" Can you take me through your process of finding his humanity, despite the layers, and the lengths he goes to for his father's approval?
I have so much empathy for Kemen and I always understand where he's coming from, even if I'm frustrated by the decisions he makes. I feel like the tragedy of Kemen, and everyone in Númenor, was that they had everything they could have ever wanted, and greed just starts to curdle, especially in the King's men. In season one, Kemen doesn't really want for anything. He's afraid of losing what he's got. Season two Kemen understands there's more out there, and suddenly he's trying to work out how he can get it quickly, how he can be thought of in the same standing as his father so he can also get a piece of the pie.
Season three Kemen now thinks he's done the legwork. As far as he's concerned, he's proven himself. But the journey he goes on this time round will bring him face to face with other people and other ideas, and for some, [it will] question some of the things he's always taken for granted. That's exciting – taking someone who's spent five years alone, really calcifying in their identity and sense of self, and throwing it up against people who have a completely different way of seeing the world. It makes for really sparky, fun scenes to play.
What can we expect from the father-son dynamic between Kemen and Pharazôn in season three?
I still think Kemen is primarily motivated by trying to earn his dad's respect – everyone's respect in Númenor, but his in particular. Everyone else he encounters will pretend they respect him, they have to, because of who he is. His dad is only going to give it to him when he's earned it. He thinks if he can prove he's a worthy person, he'll finally earn his dad's love.
And Trystan [Gravelle] is such a brilliant actor. He's also such a terrifying person because he has immense gravitas. He has true mana. So much of our dynamic is just him having this gargantuan presence and, you know, Leon Wadham, little featherweight boy, opposite, never measuring up. It's a steep hill to climb, and Kemen is doing all he can to climb it, but the deck is stacked against him, I'd say.
Without spoiling anything, is there a scene or moment this season that you're most proud of, or most excited for audiences to see?
I've only seen the first two episodes so far. We saw them at the premiere last night, and I'm bad at predicting the difference between how something felt and what it looked like. I was relieved last night that the things I really thought worked, in fact, worked like gangbusters. So if it continues like that, I'm just happy for people to see all of it. I think this is the best we've done yet.
That's interesting. Do you know where he's headed in future seasons? And if not, what's on your wish list for him?
I don't know what's happening in future seasons. I know the lore, so that's always kind of hanging over our heads – the fate of Númenor. But the path he takes to get there... From the first season, Ema [Horvath], who plays Eärien, and I had our own theories about the shape the story was going to take. But the writers constantly surprise us with where they take people. This season, [it's] all across the map. People are put in situations, and make decisions and face consequences, that I didn't see coming. I've known these characters, these worlds, these actors for a long time, and a lot of these turns had never crossed my mind. So I can guess and I can hope, but I'm enjoying being surprised. It's a fun roller coaster to be on.
I'm down to my last question. If you had to describe Kemen's journey in season three in just three words, what would they be?
That's such a challenging question to answer without spilling the beans. Tumultuous? Challenging? Necessary.
The first four episodes of season three of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” are now streaming on Prime Video. Remaining episodes will drop on November 18 and November 25.
Featured images from Prime Video.
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