In “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” Season 1 introduced a notable friendship between Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Durin (Owain Arthur).
Their bond brought some of the lightest and most enjoyable moments of the season, and this positive energy has continued into Season 2. However, there is another friendship developing in the series that, while less lighthearted, is becoming just as significant.
In a recent interview, Collider’s Carly Lane spoke with actor Ismael Cruz Cordova, who plays the Elf Arondir. They discussed his character’s unexpected friendship with Maxim Baldry’s Isildur.
The two characters find each other after the fall of the Southlands, as the survivors settle in the abandoned area of Pelargir. Cordova shared that this friendship on screen was surprising, even to him, though he and Baldry are good friends off-screen. He said:
“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.”
Cordova also joked that Arondir and Isildur’s friendship might challenge Elrond and Durin’s bond
“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.”
Despite the potential competition, Elrond and Durin’s friendship remains strong in Season 2. Both Aramayo and Arthur emphasized that their characters continue to share a deep connection. Arthur explained that, although they come from different backgrounds, they see the world in similar ways:
“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 also expressed his gratitude for the relationship between Elrond and Durin, stating:
“Elrond and Durin are quite far apart in almost everything, but 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.”
He added that their relationship provides a meaningful space for storytelling that many can relate to:
“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, showing the relationship and showing literally how a Dwarf would look at something and how an 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 now streaming on Prime Video.
