Heat, Yak Hair and a Five-Year Jump: Inside The Rings of Power Season 3
Filming on the third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was under way at Shepperton Studios in late June, when Variety visited a soundstage on the site west of London. The visit came during a heatwave. Temperatures topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and wildfire alerts were in place across Greater London.
The new season jumps ahead five years from the end of Season 2. Owain Arthur plays Durin IV, a dwarf king who has just been crowned. He inherited the throne after his father gave his life to hold off a balrog, a fiery monster from J.R.R. Tolkien's stories, in the Season 2 finale.
Not everyone is pleased about the new king. Eddie Marsan joins the cast as Thrain, a power-hungry dwarf who wants the throne for himself. Morfydd Clark plays Galadriel, the elf who has long been one of the show's central figures.
Keeping a cast cool in that weather was a job in itself. The production used battery-powered ice vests, with water channels attached to ice packs, to chill the actors. Costumes and hair had to hold up under the heat too.
The dwarf beards are made of yak tail hair. That detail has a real cost on set. Marsan's beard peeled off during a close-up the day before the visit, so the crew had to deal with a repair in the middle of a busy schedule.
Much of the look comes from a small group of named designers. Barrie Gower and his wife Sarah Gower oversaw the creation of thousands of prosthetic body parts for the show. Flora Moody is the hair and make-up designer. Libby Dempster has been promoted to lead costume designer for Season 3, taking charge of the wardrobe for the whole series.
For viewers, the season's changes will be easiest to spot on screen. A five-year gap gives the story room to move, and a new king with a brother who wants his crown gives it a clear pull. For the people building the beards, armour and ice vests, the work is more hands-on. It is measured in fittings, repairs and long hot days on a soundstage.
Variety's visit offered a glimpse of that behind-the-scenes effort. It showed a production where costumes, hair, make-up and prosthetics each carry a named lead.
