‘The Rings of Power’ interview: Sam Hazeldine on playing Adar, learning Black Speech and the Sauron problem

Sam Hazeldine is an actor with orcish commitment to his craft. “For Adar, it’s about a singleness of purpose,” Sam explains. “He’s not trying to be ruthless, he just has this role he takes very seriously.” This focus, this singular purpose, is what sets Adar apart from the pantheon of Tolkien villains. “Until Halbrand arrives in Mordor and talks about this sorcerer returning… Sauron is something that he didn’t imagine was going to be a problem, having killed him already.” This dynamic between Adar and Sauron — both would-be rulers of Mordor, both believing they have a rightful claim — sets up an intriguing conflict for the second season, particularly in the opening episodes. “Robert Strange, who plays Gluk, my ‘right-hand Uruk’ and all the orcs have this black stuff put into their mouths by the makeup or props department, and because they’ve got these huge teeth in, they don’t really have any control over their saliva.” The image of orcs struggling with drool mid-scene is as far removed from the doom and gloom of Mordor as you can get, and Hazeldine clearly relishes the absurdity of it.