'No rivalry': 'Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power' cast react on show being pitted against 'House of the Dragon'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: With the premieres of ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ and ‘House of the Dragon’ just around the corner, there’s a sense of excitement in the hearts of viewers who love the genre of epic fantasy shows. There are a lot of stakes riding on these two shows and have a lot to prove as well. ‘House of the Dragon’ will be the first time viewers will be traveling back to Westeros after the ridiculously bad Season 8 of ‘Game of Thrones’. Meanwhile, ‘The Rings of Power’ will explore the Second Age of the Middle-Earth where things were relatively more peaceful than in the third age, which was shown in Peter Jackson’s ‘LOTR’ trilogy.
‘The Rings of Power’ is undoubtedly facing a lot of stiff competition from ‘House of the Dragon’ and vice-versa. So, it doesn’t come as a shock when people start comparing the two worlds that are very different. However, one of the stars of the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series feels that there is “no rivalry” between the two shows and has a valid reason for such a statement.
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In a recent interview, Robert Aramayo, who will be seen playing the role of Elrond in ‘The Rings of Power’, revealed that he doesn’t see any “rivalry” between the two shows because of the differences in the source material and how Tolkien’s work is more about hope and less about “bloody violence”.
However, he is really stoked to see ‘House of the Dragon’ as well and feels that it’s an extraordinary time for the viewers as they get to see two brilliant fantasy shows in the upcoming weeks.
“There is no rivalry. The two shows are very different and the materials are so different. Tolkien’s material focuses less on sexual elements and bloody violence, and the great thing about Tolkien is, that if you think one thing, somebody might interpret it as something else. I’m very excited that there’s so much fantasy out there with the two shows. We get to enjoy it all. I’m excited to see ‘House of the Dragon’. I can’t wait,” Aramayo told Vanity Fair.
The 29-year-old actor has also been a part of the ‘Game of Thrones’ universe and played the role of Young Ned Stark in Season 6 of the HBO series.
On the other hand, actor Benjamin Walker, who portrays the character of High King Gil-galad on the show, further discussed how Tolkien understood the importance of “hope” and didn’t let that feeling go while writing ‘Lord of the Rings’ where ‘GOT’ is known for making things miserable for its characters and has been criticized for using sexual violence to draw audiences in.
Walker noted, “Often in Thrones, hope does not prevail, but it’s alive and well in our show. It’s where the quintessential battle between good and evil exists. Everybody needs a little bit of catharsis seeing hope prevail. Tolkien understood that, and that’s the bare minimum you’re going to get from our show.”
Even though the stars believe that there is no comparison between both the shows, they have given an indication of how ‘The Rings of Power’ will be more opulent than ‘House of the Dragon’ and if viewers are looking to see something where hope prevails, then the Amazon series might be the perfect choice for them.
That doesn’t mean ‘House of the Dragon’ won’t be as riveting as earlier seasons of ‘Game of Thrones’ and take viewers on a journey that’s not only just filled with sex and violence but tells a story that’s compelling and visually stunning.
‘House of the Dragon’ will be premiering exclusively on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 21, at 9 pm EST. Meanwhile, ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ will launch with two episodes on Thursday, September 1, on Amazon Prime Video.