Eddie Marsan Joins 'Rings of Power' With 2,000 Pairs of Elf Ears in His Past

Eddie Marsan once kept around 2,000 pairs of Orlando Bloom's prosthetic Elven ears in his loft. The veteran British actor joins "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" for its third season, which launches Nov. 11 on Prime Video. He plays Thrain, the overlooked elder son of King Durin III and one of the season's most notable new additions.

Speaking to Variety, Marsan explained the peculiar household archive. His wife, Janine Schneider-Marsan, worked as a makeup artist on Peter Jackson's original "Lord of the Rings" films. She did the makeup for Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler. "In our old house, in the loft, we had around 2,000 pairs of Orlando Bloom's ears," Marsan said. He joked: "I was going to bring them to 'Rings of Power' to see if they wanted them."

Why did Marsan say yes?

The offer carried two attractions. First, his admiration for the show itself. Second, a chance to needle his friend Peter Mullan, who played Durin III and died heroically in the season two finale, sacrificing himself to defeat an awakened Balrog. "I wanted to do it because I thought the show was brilliant, the writing was great, the direction was great," Marsan said. "But also to be able to take the piss out of Peter and tell him that I'm playing his son." Mullan, he reported, "didn't take it too kindly."

Marsan described his career strategy plainly. "You've got no control over that, but what you can control is the content — whether I always do something that's completely different to what I've done before." After "Rings of Power," he shot the second series of Netflix's "Supercell" and then played J. Edgar Hoover in Netflix's "Kennedy."

Who is Thrain?

Thrain is the eldest son of Durin III and elder brother of Durin IV, played by Owain Arthur. He was passed over for the crown when his younger brother was anointed king after their father's death. "In many ways, he's kind of like Fredo in 'The Godfather,'" Marsan said. Thrain returns to Khazad-dûm at the beginning of episode three to reclaim his crown, sparking the season's central Dwarven power struggle. The production supplied a backstory for the character, and Tolkien specialists were on hand for questions. Thrain does not appear in the "Lord of the Rings" films; a deleted scene in "The Hobbit" films shows him.

What did four and a half hours of makeup involve?

The prosthetic routine was punishing. The makeup team started around 2 a.m.; Marsan arrived around 3 and had to be set-ready by about 7:30. He filled the time with meditation. "I'd have a 40 minutes meditation and come out my meditation with a big nose and big ears," he said. He initially feared heavy prosthetics would demand a big performance style. Watching Owain Arthur and Sophie Nomvete, he found the opposite. Their acting was "not minimalistic, but free." Within his first week, he felt comfortable playing Thrain naturally.

Was the set familiar territory?

The production was full of old connections. Kevin Eldon is an old friend. Marsan had workshopped a theater piece with Arthur years earlier. The makeup designer is the niece of Peter King, who designed the makeup for the original "Lord of the Rings" and is godfather to Marsan's daughter. "I was connected to it before I joined this series," he said. Asked which Middle-earth character he might otherwise have chosen, Marsan picked one of the Hobbits. "But Thrain is a great character, he really is," he added. "It was a great joy to play him."

With Khazad-dûm's succession now contested between two brothers, season three's Dwarven storyline gives Marsan's Thrain the central role in the power struggle set to unfold from Nov. 11.