Rings of Power star slipped Welsh word into show
The Rings of Power actress Morfydd Clark managed to sneak a Welsh word into the Lord of the Rings spin-off.
The US fantasy TV drama returns for a second season on Thursday.
Clark, who grew up in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, resumes her leading role as the elf Galadriel.
During a particular scene in series one, Clark’s character was seen shouting the command “cer” to her horse – the Welsh word for “go”.
“I think Morfydd slipped that one in on us,” said showrunner Patrick McKay, ahead of season two’s debut on Prime Video.
Clark is a Welsh speaker, just like her series co-stars Owain Arthur and Trystan Gravelle.
“If you’re a Welsh speaker, it’s difficult not to speak Welsh with another Welsh speaker,” said Arthur, who plays Durin IV.
“It’s lovely – we get away with saying a few things about people… No, I’m joking. There’s none of that going on.
“It was really nice, particularly in season one as well when we were shooting in New Zealand, being on the other side of the world, and having that kind of home from home out there helped with the ‘hiraeth’.”
However, even Arthur did not spot the Welsh word that snuck into the first series.
“Do you know what – I didn’t spot that,” he laughed.
“I didn’t spot that at all. I’ll watch it back and I’ll ask Morfydd.”
Arthur has previously starred in S4C’s Rownd a Rownd, and admitted that he had been looking for an excuse to sneak some Welsh into the show himself.
“I always try and do it. I always do. I think a lot in Welsh,” he said.
Showrunners McKay and JD Payne said the second series of The Rings of Power, which was filmed around the UK, was “surprisingly Welsh”.
“I went to Wales a couple of months ago, and literally as I crossed the bridge, it felt like I was driving into Middle Earth,” said Payne.
“Up in the north, especially Snowdonia, you feel like you’re wandering through the mountains of Middle-earth in the forest – it was absolutely spectacular.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series two debuts on Prime Video on 29 August.