The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power set up a notable bromance in Season 1 between Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Durin (Owain Arthur). Their unlikely friendship was among some of the season’s lightest moments, and that energy has delightfully carried over into Season 2. But there is another bromance on the horizon for this series, one that is perhaps less lighthearted, but that is coming for their crown all the same.
In a new interview, Collider’s Carly Lane asked actor Ismael Cruz Cordova, who plays the Elf Arondir about his character’s unlikely friendship with Maxim Baldry‘s Isildur as the two find each other in the wake of the fall of the Southlands, and the survivors set up camp in the abandoned settlement of Pelargir. Cordova said the friendship onscreen was unexpected, though the two are friends in real life, saying:
“It was such an unexpected pairing and kind of funny because I know Maxim exclusively as a friend because we never worked together during the show. So I was like, “I don’t know how this is going to go out.” I was teasing him, too. I was like, “I don’t know if he’s going to be easy to work with.” I was pleasantly surprised. It was great working with him. He’s such a cool guy and chill and very committed as an actor, but has a very nice balance of lightness and focus.”
As for that other bromance in Middle-earth, Cordova jokes that Arondir and Isildur are coming for their title:
“The bromance, I’ve been teasing Elrond and Durin when we get asked in an interview, “So how was this? How was that?” I was like, “I don’t care about Elrond and Durin.” [Laughs] I started to create animosity between us because I think we’re vying for that spot now.”
Elrond and Durin’s Friendship Remains Strong in Rings of Power Season 2
Whether or not anyone else is aiming for the title of best bromance in Middle-earth, both Aramayo and Arthur maintain that Elrond and Durin’s friendship is just as strong as ever in Season 2. Arthur says the two find common ground in how despite their different upbringings, their perspectives are similar, saying:
“They both come from different worlds, but they’re both quite different from the worlds they come from. I think they’re both looking out, whereas in the kingdoms that they both grew up in or are kind of brought up, everybody looks in at each other. But these two, for some reason, look out, and I think that’s where they found each other. Even though they’re very different, their minds connect.
I don’t know if it’s a chemical thing — when you bond with someone, that’s it. You’re friends forever. They are like brothers.
They are like brothers, and I feel like they genuinely love each other. Even though they’re both from different worlds, different upbringings, different mindsets, I think there’s just that wanting to look out at the world instead of looking in at the world that connects them.”
Aramayo, for his part, believes “Elrond and Durin are quite far apart in almost everything,” but adds:
“.I’m very thankful for that relationship for many, many reasons. Owain as an actor is just so unbelievably talented, so any time that you work with him he always brings so much to a scene. He’s also become one of my personal best friends, so that’s like an extra gift from working with him.
In terms of the relationship, we both recognized from the start that it’s a really interesting space to do some storytelling that we can all resonate with. As we know, whenever you see yourself in a world or a relationship or something like that, then you’re listening. In that relationship, I definitely have relationships like that, or similar to that, where I feel like they’re quite different. Also, we really enjoyed, in the first season, especially, exploring the relationship and exploring literally how a Dwarf would look at something and how and Elf would look at something and the differences between that. Creatively, it was a really fruitful thing.”
The first three episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are streaming on Prime Video now. Stay tuned to Collider for more on Season 2.
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