Jamie Campbell Bower: Lighter role ‘more challenging’ than playing a villain

Lord Of The Rings star Jamie Campbell Bower has said portraying a “lighter” character felt “more challenging” than embodying his usual villainous roles.

The 37-year-old is known for playing antagonists across various fantasy and horror franchises, with roles including otherworldly monster Vecna in Stranger Things and the twisted Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts films.

The actor has taken on the Lord Of The Rings franchise for his latest role in TV series The Rings Of Power as Elven lord Celeborn – the earnest and loving long-lost husband of Galadriel, played by Welsh actress Morfydd Clark.

Speaking to the Press Association, Bower reflected on the “honour” of joining the fantasy franchise based on the works of JRR Tolkien and explained the complexities of his latest role.

“It’s very daunting at times,” he said.

“I think that pressure is very internal on my end. I don’t think that there’s a project that I’ve done where I haven’t felt that level of pressure.

“Of course, you add into that how loved this is, and the show has been going for – what, seven years now? I think it’s been eight years since they started production.

“You want to do the best that you can do – and honour it and the work.”

The Prime Video series is set thousands of years before the events of Tolkien’s hit 1950s novels and its award-winning fantasy film trilogies based on them – The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings.

Wearing a black cloak with blue-eyed brooch pinned to the lapel, which he playfully described as the “Eye of Sauron”, Bower also explained how his character differs from his typical roles.

The London-born actor said: “I like complexity.”

Referring to his role in the Netflix smash-hit series, he continued: “It’s not that Celeborn doesn’t suffer – because he does suffer.

“It’s just that he chooses a different path to the character that I played before.

“The character that I played before suffered and chose a path of suffering for others, whereas Celeborn suffers and tries to continually choose a sort of lighter path in the path of life.

“I think it certainly felt at times more challenging to take on that opportunity for him to choose the lighter path, because you go: ‘How?’

“Why is he not just sitting in the ownness of it all the time?”

Bower went on to describe his latest role as a “gift”, and told PA: “I think what’s so beautiful about this (fantasy) world is that, particularly playing this character… It’s something you want to take home with you.

“You don’t mind taking home the philosophical nature of playing Celeborn the elf.

“It’s something you can share.”

Bower embodied the Elven fashion of the fantasy franchise during the event in London on Tuesday, wearing an extravagant and ornate gold headpiece atop his long, platinum hair.

He was joined by his co-stars including Clark, who wowed in an elegant white off-the-shoulder dress, while Australian actor Charlie Vickers stood out in a beige suit, paired with a fiery red shirt and black tie.

Lord Of The Rings: The Rings of Power returns to Prime Video for its third series on November 11.