Charlie Vickers Is The Best Part of Rings of Power, And This BTS Photo Proves It
The Rings of Power may be universally hated at this point, but there is no denying that the show definitely has its moments.
Charlie Vickers (who plays Halbrand/Sauron) is widely regarded as one of the best actors in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Though Vickers was a relatively obscure theater actor, with only roles in a few unknown films and a supporting role in the Netflix series Medici before starring in The Rings of Power, he clearly gave a memorable performance in Season 1.
It can be argued that he had an easy time upstaging all the other actors in his storyline, but his own performance was certainly not lacking.
(It can also be argued that the hints at Halbrand's true identity were too unsubtle, and many people have correctly pointed out that he is Sauron all the way back after Episode 2, but that was the problem with the script and the lines, not Vicker's acting skills).
And as these photos show, one of the reasons he was able to give a good performance was because he took his role as seriously as he could.
In case you were wondering, Sauron was always supposed to be a skilled blacksmith, and in the series, while posing as Halbrand and trying to settle down in Numenor, he tried to pose as a blacksmith. So it seems that Charlie Vickers at least tried his hand at blacksmithing as part of his preparation for the role.
Considering that it is not an uncommon problem in this day and age for actors to ignore physical training in things necessary for their roles, such as fencing and safety (stunt doubles are not as common and used as often as you might think, so generally an actor whose character is involved in fight scenes must have appropriate training), this is a clear sign of unusual dedication.
The dedication paid off. By now, when somebody discusses good or award-worthy performances from The Rings of Power, the article is likely to be illustrated by Vickers' face:
As the main villain is often considered to be the most crucial role in any given series, movie or play, and Sauron is obviously the main villain of The Rings of Power, this provides at least some hope for the future of the series.