Felixstowe actor Charlie Rich, Aldeburgh actor Adam Basil and Great Bricett sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn, speak on involvement in The Lord of Rings: The Rings of Power season two

Two actors and a sculptor from Suffolk have shared their experience of being involved in a blockbuster Amazon Prime TV series following the recent conclusion of its second season.

Charlie Rich, 35, of Felixstowe, played an elf extra in several of the episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and secured a feature role in episode six.

Despite not having a speaking role, Charlie was on set for eight months and loved his time on the show which has in-turn given him a confidence boost moving forwards in his career.

“Firstly, the show was an incredible thing to be a part of and I’m proud to be a part of it even if I didn’t get a speaking role but who knows what the future may hold,” he said.

“In episode six, there was a massive moment for me personally when the director of photography came over to me after a shot and praised me. He’s a guy at the top of his game so to get that compliment was really nice.

“I showed I could do a good job at that level where I’m more involved so in terms of confidence, that was actually really important for me.”

Charlie used the time on set to learn and watch people working and studied Charlie Vickers, who plays Sauron in the show.

He said: “Charlie is an incredible actor and it was really interesting to watch him work. He actually warms up in a unique way.

“Before every shot, he really relaxes his body, so his knees buckle, he hangs his chin down and his tongue comes out.

“It means he’s as reactive as he can be and helps the quality of his performance which was quite fascinating to see and I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to watch him.”

Charlie lives in London and is currently undergoing an intense period of filming for The Knight, the Wizard, the Giant and the Morrigan, a fantasy film coming out in 2025 that is his biggest project to date.

Another person who had a role in season two of The Rings of Power was 56-year-old sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn, who lives in Great Bricett and grew up in Ipswich.

Sean was a model maker and designer on the show and made about 20 different weapons, such as shields and weapons for orcs, elves, and dwarves, some of which he designed from scratch.

He had actually quit the film industry in 2012 to focus on statues but was then drawn back when The Rings of Power came into the picture

Sean said: “I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy and my kids Joseph and Ryan, who love the trilogy as well, told me I had to be involved with the show. If I hadn’t done it they would’ve disowned me I think.

“To be involved in the show was honestly an absolute thrill and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever worked on.

“When it came to designing the weapons, I particularly loved doing the orc stuff which was quite fun as you had to think up ways of making a weapon from scratch. Their weapons are often salvaged from a battlefield so you can use bones, rocks and even pelvises.”

Sean was on set to watch a big battle unfold towards the end of the season which he described as visually stunning and a special spectacle.

He also was honoured to meet John Howe, best-known for his artwork of J.R.R Tolkien's Middle-earth.

Adam Basil, of Aldeburgh, has played as Tom Hardy's stunt double in Venom: Let There Be Carnage and been involved in a number of Hollywood blockbusters, prior to his appearance as a nervous orc in episode two of The Rings of Power’s latest season.

The 6ft 6in actor underwent four hours of prosthetics and was given a fake wig, fake nails and a thick red-coloured eye lens to wear.

Adam was given his costume by Barrie Gower, who is the well-known creator behind the creatures and prosthetics of Game of Thrones and Stranger Things.

“I’ve previously worked with Barrie on the Last of Us so it was great to be back with him again and seeing all the amazing things he can do so that was a real highlight for me,” Adam said.

“Another brilliant thing, aside from being involved in the show of course, was when we were in the woods near Windsor.

“We were filming and The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, happened to come and visit us which was really cool and a nice surprise.”

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