‘The Lord of the Rings’ just got its own spin-off in a web series titled ‘The Rings of Power’. The much-anticipated series has begun streaming on September 2, on Amazon Prime Video. The cast, along with show runner JD Payne was in India recently to promote the project. During the promotions, Lloyd Owen shared his experience working in the Bollywood film ‘Thugs of Hindostan’ (2018) and how it helped him prepare for this international magnum opus drama.
Drawing similarities between both projects, Lloyd said, “Not just in terms of size and palette but also how we filmed in different places. So yes, there was a strong sense of resemblance. In ‘Thugs’, there was a strong mythological aspect and that is reflected in the set. And hence, I felt I was well trained for the ‘Rings of Power’ working on the film.”
The 56-year-old also drew comparisons in terms of learning a new language in both projects. He shared, “Victor Acharya, who was the director of ‘Thugs’, wrote 36 pages of lines in Urdu for me. I had to try and learn and then add meaning, weight and emotions to it. It was the hardest and yet the most rewarding thing for me as an actor. Similarly, in this show, I have to speak Elvish. When the new words came, I was like, I am here again. How to decipher and make the language my own emotions was another big similarity.”
When asked whether he plans to show his new project to his ‘Thugs’ co-stars Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, said, “I will force everyone in the team to watch it.” Lloyd Owen played the negative lead John Clive in the Aamir Khan-Amitabh Bachchan starrer.
