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Sam Hazeldine is an actor with an orcish commitment to his work. The 52-year-old Englishman, who inherits the role of Adar from Joseph Mawle, plays the layered antagonist in Amazon’s sprawling fantasy prequel series. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerIn his highly anticipated second season, Hazeldine has not only fanned the flames of Adar’s fiery resolve, but also deepened his story with paternal instincts and ruthless determination – a feat that proves once again that the lines between good and evil in Middle Earth are rarely clear.
When I asked him how he viewed Adar, Sam avoided any kind of basic label. “I don’t see him as a villain at all,” he said. “He’s just trying to make life possible, to give life to the Uruks, really, which he’s succeeded in doing by creating Mordor at the end of the first season, and they can live there, hopefully – we’ll see.”
It’s the “hope” that stands out the most. There’s a feeling of unfinished work, half-done work. In Tolkien’s world, Adar lives in a fascinating grey space. “For Adar, it’s about unity of purpose,” explains Sam. “He has to make absolutely sure that he fulfills his promise to them, really, to save them and protect them from the darkness of Sauron or from the elves who apparently want to wipe out the Uruk race forever.”
Sam Hazeldine as Adar in a scene from ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 | Photo Credit: X/ @TheRingsofPower
This singleness of purpose, according to Sam, makes Adar a character that can’t easily be categorized. He’s not a mad tyrant or a power-hungry dictator – he’s more like a father, although his family is very large, very chaotic (and often cannibalistic). The actor is quick to point out the similarities between Adar and marginalized people. “There’s a kind of authority,” he says, referring to the elves. “It’s like a master race to some extent.” Adar, on the other hand, is simply looking for a home for his people. “He just wants to be left alone.”
According to Sam’s explanation, the Uruks are his children, and his ruthlessness comes not from malice but from a paternal instinct to protect and help. “I think his ruthlessness is just about collateral damage,” he says. “He’s not trying to be ruthless, it’s just that he has this role that he takes very seriously.”
This focus, this singular purpose, is what sets Adar apart from the ranks of Tolkien villains. Saruman had his growing lust for power, Azog his bloody vengeance, but Adar’s motivations are rooted in a kind of dark altruism. Adar isn’t out to conquer the world—he’s simply trying to carve out a little corner of the world for himself. “There’s honor there,” Sam says thoughtfully. “There’s a responsibility he owes and that he has to honor.”
But as much as Adar wants to play protector, the matter of Sauron looms large, the shadow that Adar thought he had banished. In Season 2, Adar comes to the realization that Sauron isn’t as dead as he had hoped. “I think Adar thinks his work is done, really,” Sam muses. “Until Helbrand comes to Mordor and talks about this wizard returning… Sauron is something he didn’t think was going to be a problem, because he’s already killed him.”
This dynamic between Adar and Sauron – both are future rulers of Mordor, both believe they have a rightful claim – sets up an interesting conflict for the second season, especially in the early episodes. Sam recalls the first scenes he shot with Charlie Vickers, who plays Sauron (as Helbrand). “Charlie was great to work with,” he says, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “I especially liked our scene in the prison cell… Adar seems like he strongly suspects he’s Sauron. He’s recognised him before, but he didn’t know where he’s from, there was just something about him. But, you know, a feeling.”
Sam Hazeldine as Adar in a scene from ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 | Photo Credit: X/ @TheRingsofPower
The tension in those scenes is palpable – Eder, the fallen elf who has already stabbed Sauron in the back (quite literally), is now facing the prospects of the Dark Lord’s return, possibly stronger than ever. “It’s upsetting,” Sam says of playing these scenes. “You know, no matter how much we beat him up, any human would have actually died because of the kind of torture he went through. But he’s still there, smiling, which is upsetting.”
Mastering the Black Speech, the harsh dialect of Mordor, was no small feat for Sam, who admits to struggling with its complexities on set. “It’s kind of the sound at the front of the mouth, but comes from here, out of the throat,” he explains, pointing to his throat, his voice taking on a raspy tone as if performing. Sam recalls how cue cards were initially considered for his scenes, a safety net he ultimately didn’t need, but which highlighted the challenges of performing in a language that sounds more like a cursed spell than dialogue.
But Sam is quick to point out that, as heavy as the material is, there’s a lot of lightness behind the scenes to balance it out. “Robert Strange, who plays Gluk, my ‘right hand Uruk’, and all the orcs have this black substance put in their mouths by the makeup or props department, and because they have these big teeth, they really have no control over their saliva.” The image of an orc struggling with saliva in midair is about as far away from the doom and gloom of Mordor as you can get, and Hazeldine clearly enjoys the absurdity of it. “It’s very disturbing, and it’s hard to hold back laughter. But after a while you get used to it.”
It was these moments of excitement that helped Sam stay grounded while he was immersed in one of the most spectacular worlds ever created. As far as his connection to that world goes, Sam is a bit of a latecomer, at least when it comes to Tolkien’s epic books. “I was a huge fan of his The Hobbit “I must have read it 10 times when I was a kid,” he admits. “But I have to admit I haven’t read it lord of the ringsI think I started but it was quite dense, obviously not The Silmarillion Still, stepping into Adar’s shoes has given Sam a deeper appreciation for Tolkien’s world and he’s especially excited to explore this relationship in the upcoming season.
The Rings of Power season 2 premieres on Amazon Prime Video on August 29
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