This was fantastic. He clearly knows his lore, is able to talk about it, is excited about it ... what more could you want in a Tolkien-adaptation actor? Thanks to Ben and thanks to Corey and Maggie for putting this together and sharing it with us. Gaaaa, I can't wait for more!
Wow, this is one of the best actor interviews I’ve ever seen. Ben Walker knows his stuff, and I love how happy he clearly is to be part of this project. He drops a lot of great wisdom about the characters and what their role is in the show’s interpretation of Middle Earth, but also how that relates to the original lore and how it relates to real life! Wow! There were times I wanted to shout “Amen”! 😆 This was great.
This is what we’ve wanted, and have finally gotten. Lore deep dives and thinking about how the elves felt and reacted to what was happening. And Walker is da king! 🤴
An absolutely lovely interview and discussion. Thank you Corey and Maggie for being so positively engaged in creating and cultivating these spaces. Ben's knowledge and clear love of Tolkien's work is a treat and illuminated some really fun new insights about the show and his portrayal of Gil Galad's character!
Absolutely love the type of depth and thoughtfulness Corey and Maggie always bring to Rings and Realms and that Ben Walker matches in this LOVELY conversation!
Really enjoyed that interview. Clearly the guy is really doing his utmost to make Gil Galad as close to the books as possible and he just comes across as a really nice guy. I could have watched hours of him.
This channel has meant so much to me. This is the depth of discussion I truly appreciate in a Tolkien adaption like this. To me Rings and Realms should be known to everyone who watches The Rings of Power. Thank you so much for your videos. This interview is fantastic. Can't wait for more!
Wow fantastic stuff here from the High King. To all the doubters I say listen up. His knowledge and passion is evident from the off, and he's nothing like his character at all ! I think this really helps nail Gil Galads mindset for me. Superb
I've enjoyed this interview so much. Corey and Maggie ask good questions, and Ben's answers are so insightful. His thoughts make me love the character even more.
What a great interview! My favorite character is clearly in good hands - love the care and attention he is giving Gil-Galad even given limitations in rights and screen-time. Cannot WAIT to see him interact with Elendil, those two actors together vibing is just gonna be fire. Thanks so much for putting this on Corey and Maggie!
I was watching the extras from Prime and Ben really sang the song himself. What a talent this man is. I swear shed few tears during that song. It was beautiful.
Awesome deep-dive with Ben here, this is content I love to watch. It is evident how much people behind The Rings of Power care about Tolkien and the background of these characters and all actions have a reason, even if only in the actors' minds. Even the changes in lore are calculated and not done willy-nilly. I hope you get Owain Arthur, I would love to hear about the dwarven perspective so to speak.
I honestly think he's one of the strongest Elven Kings on screen so far. He just has that distinct kingliness and dignity in how to holds himself. It's going to suck so much when that particular moment in Mordor will happen. Absolute legend!
Thank you so much for this wonderful conversation! I very much enjoyed the increased number of Gil-galad scenes in S2, and hope that trajectory continues in later seasons. Thank you particularly for spending so much time addressing his relationships with Elrond and Galadriel. In a way, the High King is perhaps best known through his most famous agents, his interactions with them have certainly made for very interesting story-telling in S2. Eglerio, Mr. Walker for your wonderful performance! And for your song!
Lovely interview. I really came around enjoying Gil-Galad in season 2. The ending when he raises the sword on the hills of Rivendell was so good. Goosebumps.
That was so interesting to learn more about what Walker's thinking about as he's crafting his approach to Gil-galad. Thanks to everybody involved for bringing it to us!
Fantastic interview. I particularly liked the acknowledgement of the age gap between Gil-Galad & Galadriel, but how he still holds authority over her. I would love to see it mentioned in the show as I saw some viewers complaining that it didn't make sense. Our leaders are not always older than us.
I like how Ben compared Lindsey Weber's role as Exec Producer to the High King, in that there are unpopular decisions that have to be made for external reasons despite the artistic ideas and plans. There are many things about this show that people find grating that I believe come down to the sheer fact it's such a large-scale project, sometimes things just happen and there's not enough wiggle room to fix them (like eg, light going on a location shoot that can't be done again tomorrow, when something random messes up the last possible take of the day).
Wow, wonderful interview! It was delightful listening to Ben and see him open up once he realized how serious this channel is about ROP 🙌 I wish we could have heard a little about his awesome fighting scenes, though. Next time!
Wonderful interview. Benjamin clearly embodies his character and puts a lot of thought an energy into this role. It was good to see him get more screen time this season. His voice was beautiful!
I wish this kind of content had been available when I was 13 and getting into Tolkien, but I am so happy to have it now! Please do more interviews with him!
very interesting interview, thanks guys! i couldn't quite understand gil-galad in the show until the very last episode where we see him join the battle for real and dirty himself and sort of.. come down to earth. reveal another another side to himself. and there you can see he really is a dad figure. i guess tired and dirty after a battle looks very good on him? 😳
I can't believe just how much into lore this guy is. This conversation is pure gold, is more than just an actor talking about his cool Elf role. Benjamin seems to actually love the source material, and I respect him so much for it - even if I think the show kinda murdered GG's portrayal lol.
I'm so confused, where is the episode 8 analysis and reaction vid? Why isn't it mentioned here or anywhere else why we haven't got it yet? There was an instant vid about the kiss, FFS lol
They are taking a long time certainly and it's getting a bit excessive. Maggie has been in the comments saying that they recorded 16 hours of material for the end of season 2 retrospective and that the episode 8 material has had to be split into two parts. Would be nice if they could give us an ETA though, as Corey said it would take "a couple more days" than usual and it's been over two weeks now.
Still no analysis of episode 8? I appreciate how sophisticated these are, but at this day and age not getting the review out 2 weeks later is missing the boat.
I believe it is still on the way. They had initially filmed this interview as a part of the episode 7 R&R, but had to cut it due to discussing episode 8 stuff.
It's coming...it's LONG. So it'll come out in two parts :) And we spent the weekend filming 16 hours of content for the retrospective so you have a lot MORE to come!
@@MaggieParkeSignum that’s all cool and appreciate all the work that goes into these, it’s just that In today’s world, I fear episode 8 will be old news when it comes out.
The Lindon scenes feel primarily focused around the tree area, their command/map room, and the Grey Havens as of season 2. I feel like we saw buildings before, but I could be wrong, but they haven’t been the main focus given context of scenes. As for the second question…I’m giving the benefit of the doubt that it’s not a legit question, but those are the types of questions often not asked, but rather suspended because it isn’t often necessary for the story.
I think that maybe you need to watch interviews given by Professor Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien and Tom Shippey before you start talking about the lore. Nothing in ROP ( except some names) has anything to do with Professor Tolkiens mythology, it is very much the book he never wrote.
I think you need to start talking the truth rather than generalised nonsense. Corey knows way more about the subject than you ever will, which is why he makes a living out of teaching it, whereas you just criticise what you don't understand.
Corey & Maggie, at this point I just watch your show instead of the actual episodes because the show's lost me. But I love Tolkien and your analysis and appreciate your patience and perspectives. It is true that a lot of what the show is doing visually really shines, along with some of the performances, but after listening to JD and Patrick talk to Nerd of the Rings, I've lost all faith in their ability to tell *this story*. They seem like nice guys, but just not up to the task of Middle-Earth material. We have issues with some of Jackson/Boyens/Walsh decisions, but they were excellent screenwriters and adaptors more often than not. I feel like JD and Patrick can't even figure out pacing. Keep up the great work on Rings & Realms.
@@Dan-B yeah right, we should love and embrace elrond and galadriel french, as well as Sauron laying eyes on the elven ring, the total absence of celebrimbor. after all, there is no cannon, let's rewrite everything. right?
@@andreguia1731 the show isn’t written using canon, but nice try 😛 A contrary question: can we just like a show and/or enjoy more content based in this world that we love, rather than it having to be entirely accurate to source material which it isn’t using? It’s an adaptation, the book versions still exist. It’s also impossible to adapt expansive stories to limited series.
Are you aware exactly what Christopher Tolkien and the Estate thought of the films? They thought they existed purely for commercialisation and that they eviscerated the source material. They really didn't like them at all. This series however the Tolkien Estate are contributing to and have praised what it is doing with the story. So, not sure how you came to the conclusion that you did when the people who know Tolkien best think the exact opposite to you.
I have such an admiration for how thoughtful and passionate this man is.
Agreed. I wish he had played Faramir in the Jackson films and not let them ruin one of the greatest characters
It's so cool to hear how much thought and care goes into his performance. And love how funny he is
This was fantastic. He clearly knows his lore, is able to talk about it, is excited about it ... what more could you want in a Tolkien-adaptation actor? Thanks to Ben and thanks to Corey and Maggie for putting this together and sharing it with us. Gaaaa, I can't wait for more!
Wow, this is one of the best actor interviews I’ve ever seen. Ben Walker knows his stuff, and I love how happy he clearly is to be part of this project. He drops a lot of great wisdom about the characters and what their role is in the show’s interpretation of Middle Earth, but also how that relates to the original lore and how it relates to real life! Wow! There were times I wanted to shout “Amen”! 😆 This was great.
This is what we’ve wanted, and have finally gotten. Lore deep dives and thinking about how the elves felt and reacted to what was happening. And Walker is da king! 🤴
All hail High King Gil-Galad
@53:35 “Careful” got me cracking up, especially knowing Signum U’s beautiful crawl through LoTR
An absolutely lovely interview and discussion. Thank you Corey and Maggie for being so positively engaged in creating and cultivating these spaces. Ben's knowledge and clear love of Tolkien's work is a treat and illuminated some really fun new insights about the show and his portrayal of Gil Galad's character!
Absolutely love the type of depth and thoughtfulness Corey and Maggie always bring to Rings and Realms and that Ben Walker matches in this LOVELY conversation!
Really enjoyed that interview. Clearly the guy is really doing his utmost to make Gil Galad as close to the books as possible and he just comes across as a really nice guy. I could have watched hours of him.
What a completely enjoyable interview. This man really becomes “Gil-galad”!!
Loved hearing from Benjamin and how much passion he has both for the show and for Tolkien’s work.
This channel has meant so much to me. This is the depth of discussion I truly appreciate in a Tolkien adaption like this. To me Rings and Realms should be known to everyone who watches The Rings of Power. Thank you so much for your videos. This interview is fantastic. Can't wait for more!
Thank you for your content and all your positivity and enthusiasm, Maggie and Corey! Great to have voices of actors from the project. Props to Walker
Wow fantastic stuff here from the High King. To all the doubters I say listen up. His knowledge and passion is evident from the off, and he's nothing like his character at all ! I think this really helps nail Gil Galads mindset for me. Superb
What a fantastic interview! and how eloquent and thoughtful is Benjamin Walker? Very impressed.
I've enjoyed this interview so much. Corey and Maggie ask good questions, and Ben's answers are so insightful. His thoughts make me love the character even more.
I agree!!
he's so charismatic, can't wait to see more of gil galad in future seasons. war of last alliance is gonna hurt so bad
Regal and charismatic indeed. Thank you for this wonderful conversation!
OMG Thank you all. That was excellent.
Benjamin Walker is the King.
He acts so well with his eyes as Gil-galad. Such skill and sensitivity. Great interview.
Ben Walker is a lore master himself. Very enjoyable interview!
What a great interview! My favorite character is clearly in good hands - love the care and attention he is giving Gil-Galad even given limitations in rights and screen-time. Cannot WAIT to see him interact with Elendil, those two actors together vibing is just gonna be fire. Thanks so much for putting this on Corey and Maggie!
Awesome job! Love the length of these interviews! Bravo to all on a fantastic Season 2.
I was watching the extras from Prime and Ben really sang the song himself. What a talent this man is. I swear shed few tears during that song. It was beautiful.
I just love the depth of thought and discussion in this interview and in his portrayal of Gil-Galad. Really great interview!
Awesome deep-dive with Ben here, this is content I love to watch. It is evident how much people behind The Rings of Power care about Tolkien and the background of these characters and all actions have a reason, even if only in the actors' minds. Even the changes in lore are calculated and not done willy-nilly. I hope you get Owain Arthur, I would love to hear about the dwarven perspective so to speak.
I honestly think he's one of the strongest Elven Kings on screen so far. He just has that distinct kingliness and dignity in how to holds himself. It's going to suck so much when that particular moment in Mordor will happen. Absolute legend!
I loved this interview! I tell everyone I know about Rings and Realms because it deserves to be seen by everyone interested in the show!
Great interview, really enjoyed hearing his takes on Gil-galad. Excited for your Episode 8 analysis!
Thank you so much for this wonderful conversation! I very much enjoyed the increased number of Gil-galad scenes in S2, and hope that trajectory continues in later seasons. Thank you particularly for spending so much time addressing his relationships with Elrond and Galadriel. In a way, the High King is perhaps best known through his most famous agents, his interactions with them have certainly made for very interesting story-telling in S2. Eglerio, Mr. Walker for your wonderful performance! And for your song!
Lovely interview. I really came around enjoying Gil-Galad in season 2. The ending when he raises the sword on the hills of Rivendell was so good. Goosebumps.
That was so interesting to learn more about what Walker's thinking about as he's crafting his approach to Gil-galad. Thanks to everybody involved for bringing it to us!
Fantastic interview. I particularly liked the acknowledgement of the age gap between Gil-Galad & Galadriel, but how he still holds authority over her. I would love to see it mentioned in the show as I saw some viewers complaining that it didn't make sense. Our leaders are not always older than us.
I could watch Ben all day. He’s absolutely fantastic
What a lovely interview with great insightful questions and answers! Love Benjamin Walker! Thanks Corey and Maggie
This was beautiful, and poetic. Thank you.
As always, thank you for the amazing content. Great interview and here's hoping there's more interviews to come!
Such a great interview -- I am so impressed with how much thought he put into his character, and it shows on screen.
Great discussion! I loved hearing his vision and knowledge of his character. I'm impressed at the genuine thoughtfulness in his answers.
I like how Ben compared Lindsey Weber's role as Exec Producer to the High King, in that there are unpopular decisions that have to be made for external reasons despite the artistic ideas and plans. There are many things about this show that people find grating that I believe come down to the sheer fact it's such a large-scale project, sometimes things just happen and there's not enough wiggle room to fix them (like eg, light going on a location shoot that can't be done again tomorrow, when something random messes up the last possible take of the day).
Wow, wonderful interview! It was delightful listening to Ben and see him open up once he realized how serious this channel is about ROP 🙌 I wish we could have heard a little about his awesome fighting scenes, though. Next time!
Wonderful interview. Benjamin clearly embodies his character and puts a lot of thought an energy into this role. It was good to see him get more screen time this season. His voice was beautiful!
I wish this kind of content had been available when I was 13 and getting into Tolkien, but I am so happy to have it now! Please do more interviews with him!
This is lovely, what a wonderful interview, thank you so much. He has a beautiful voice!
Loved the interview, definitely want to see more! Would be great to see the directors/producers as well!
Love his interpretation of GilGalad as big dad energy ❤
very interesting interview, thanks guys!
i couldn't quite understand gil-galad in the show until the very last episode where we see him join the battle for real and dirty himself and sort of.. come down to earth. reveal another another side to himself. and there you can see he really is a dad figure.
i guess tired and dirty after a battle looks very good on him? 😳
Great to have you back!
Fantastic interview. Hope we see more of Gil-Galad next season.
More interviews like this!
I can't believe just how much into lore this guy is. This conversation is pure gold, is more than just an actor talking about his cool Elf role. Benjamin seems to actually love the source material, and I respect him so much for it - even if I think the show kinda murdered GG's portrayal lol.
What a fantastic interview. Gil-Galad is in good hands.
I could listen to him talk for hours...Such a great orator ! His passion for the lore is so refreshing
Excellent questions
Thank you for this unexpected but delightful birthday present. Ben is such a gem, so cool of you to get him :3
Had no idea he was American.
I can't get over how good of a Joel he would have made in The Last of Us.
Yall big timing now! I'm kinda hoping you get all the actors on the show.
Great to have Ben back, really enjoyed your interview with him for the Twitter show during season 1. Looking forward to this.
Absolutely loved every second of this!
His sword was long!
His lance was keen!
Ha. I broke into singing that (the version from the BBC radio adaptation) as soon as this was over.
thank you for interviewing OUR KING!
Love this. Thanks for sharing ❤
Gil Ga-Daddy!
Ben is a perfect Gil-Galad
How very interesting. Thank you all
Wonderful discussion folks, thank you!
Wonderful actor, well done
Ben's eyes welling up at the end... omg. As an actor I totally get it!
Season 2 was better than one so I'm hoping the show will keep getting better as it progresses.. I'm really enjoying it!
yeah I'm looking forward to season three hot steamy sex between elrond and Durin.
Thanks, this sas really interesting and nice to hear the perspective of Walker:)
this is too sick. good job guys.
woah! Gil-Galad!
Can Ben get a segment on the show? He’s great. I love hearing him talk about the lore.
Awesome!!
This was great! And Tolkien never stated the absence of brass knuckles so Gil-Galad will now have brass knuckles in my mind 😂
Great Interview 😃👍🏼
I will always say , the actors are great , they are doing the best they can.
'It's good to be the king!" Mel Brooks
Good episode
I'm so confused, where is the episode 8 analysis and reaction vid? Why isn't it mentioned here or anywhere else why we haven't got it yet? There was an instant vid about the kiss, FFS lol
They are taking a long time certainly and it's getting a bit excessive.
Maggie has been in the comments saying that they recorded 16 hours of material for the end of season 2 retrospective and that the episode 8 material has had to be split into two parts.
Would be nice if they could give us an ETA though, as Corey said it would take "a couple more days" than usual and it's been over two weeks now.
Is the season finale episode coming out soon? :)
Did we get an episode on the last episode and the season as a whole?
Not yet. I believe they're still working on it.
It's coming...it's LONG. So it'll come out in two parts :)
Still no analysis of episode 8? I appreciate how sophisticated these are, but at this day and age not getting the review out 2 weeks later is missing the boat.
Walker (ca. 32: 10): _>"we didn't have time for a read through of some episodes"
So he set up a time on the weekend so they could?
@@DavidRoberts thank you!
What happened to episode 8 review?
I believe it is still on the way. They had initially filmed this interview as a part of the episode 7 R&R, but had to cut it due to discussing episode 8 stuff.
Good question.
It's coming...it's LONG. So it'll come out in two parts :)
@@MaggieParkeSignum I bet half of the delay is for these epic intro's
But where's the Finale breakdown?
Patience...they'll get it up. Lots to put in.
@@the_real_littlepinkhousefly XD I've been waiting an age XD I'm just excited
@@PacificEgg Oh, I don't blame you! Me, too. I bet it will be worth the wait. ^_^
It's coming...it's LONG. So it'll come out in two parts :)
Did I miss episode 8?!
Not out yet.
It's coming...it's LONG. So it'll come out in two parts :)
No eps 8 review? The timelines are a bit out of line with 2024.
It's coming...it's LONG. So it'll come out in two parts :) And we spent the weekend filming 16 hours of content for the retrospective so you have a lot MORE to come!
@@MaggieParkeSignum that’s all cool and appreciate all the work that goes into these, it’s just that In today’s world, I fear episode 8 will be old news when it comes out.
To me, this interview is better than any of the ROP episodes.
And I doubt you watched the interview either. Just move on mate.
Curious, do the two hosts have children of their own. I'm not a gambler, but I think not.
Curious what that has to do with anything. Actually, I'm not at all curious, as your opinion is utterly unimportant to me.
@TomOnTheTube excellent. You're the one responding to my post. I could give a sh*t about you and your comment.
Both do! They mention their kids pretty regularly in their other show, Other Minds and Hands.
Do they not have any buildings in Lindon? Where do they poop?
The Lindon scenes feel primarily focused around the tree area, their command/map room, and the Grey Havens as of season 2. I feel like we saw buildings before, but I could be wrong, but they haven’t been the main focus given context of scenes.
As for the second question…I’m giving the benefit of the doubt that it’s not a legit question, but those are the types of questions often not asked, but rather suspended because it isn’t often necessary for the story.
@@davidbeer5015 You're right, I forgot about the map room and cloisters. Strange we haven't seen the outside of buildings.
Few things are all good or all bad. But extremists are saying so. The Rings of Power is neither.
I think that maybe you need to watch interviews given by Professor Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien and Tom Shippey before you start talking about the lore. Nothing in ROP ( except some names) has anything to do with Professor Tolkiens mythology, it is very much the book he never wrote.
I think you need to start talking the truth rather than generalised nonsense. Corey knows way more about the subject than you ever will, which is why he makes a living out of teaching it, whereas you just criticise what you don't understand.
SELL-OUT
Corey & Maggie, at this point I just watch your show instead of the actual episodes because the show's lost me. But I love Tolkien and your analysis and appreciate your patience and perspectives. It is true that a lot of what the show is doing visually really shines, along with some of the performances, but after listening to JD and Patrick talk to Nerd of the Rings, I've lost all faith in their ability to tell *this story*. They seem like nice guys, but just not up to the task of Middle-Earth material. We have issues with some of Jackson/Boyens/Walsh decisions, but they were excellent screenwriters and adaptors more often than not. I feel like JD and Patrick can't even figure out pacing. Keep up the great work on Rings & Realms.
All opinions being entitled, how can you accurately judge or dislike something that you don’t watch? 😛
@@Dan-B yeah right, we should love and embrace elrond and galadriel french, as well as Sauron laying eyes on the elven ring, the total absence of celebrimbor. after all, there is no cannon, let's rewrite everything. right?
@@andreguia1731 the show isn’t written using canon, but nice try 😛
A contrary question: can we just like a show and/or enjoy more content based in this world that we love, rather than it having to be entirely accurate to source material which it isn’t using? It’s an adaptation, the book versions still exist. It’s also impossible to adapt expansive stories to limited series.
You didn't even bother to comprehend the handful sentences he wrote, so.... Irony?
Are you aware exactly what Christopher Tolkien and the Estate thought of the films? They thought they existed purely for commercialisation and that they eviscerated the source material. They really didn't like them at all.
This series however the Tolkien Estate are contributing to and have praised what it is doing with the story.
So, not sure how you came to the conclusion that you did when the people who know Tolkien best think the exact opposite to you.
The character comes across as a manager at Burger King, but okay.
Sure…….
Benjamin is a nice guy, and it's not surprising that he likes the showrunners' choices. Is he not an employee???
Oh, so you're saying he has no integrity because he's being paid? You sound like a really pleasant person.
How does a female elf thousands of years old act like a 15 year old human??????????????????
1. She doesn't. 2. Read The Nature of Middle-earth and learn what her age means.
3. Grow up and stop acting like a 15 year old yourself
Shame.
Clear off. You're adding nothing but negativity and no one wants you round here.