Tom Bombadil actor Rory Kinnear has confirmed that the beloved Lord of the Rings character will sing in The Rings of Power season 2.
Speaking to TechRadar before the high fantasy show returns on Prime Video, the former James Bond star revealed that, despite what season 2's numerous trailers suggest, he won't talk like a normal character all of the time. Indeed, considering the enigmatic individual is famous for 'sing-talking' – essentially, he speaks in rhymes in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary literary works – it would've been an oversight to omit this particular character trait. Thankfully, The Rings of Power will fully embrace that aspect of this enigmatic individual.
"There's a little bit of singing going on," Kinnear admitted when I asked him whether he'll belt out any of Tom Bombadil's famous songs, "which he uses his Cornish lilt for. I chose that accent because, before I'd been asked to play him, I'd been working in Cornwall [in the UK's south-west] and I'd gone swimming along the coast. The cliffs sort of smash into the sea there and you see each layer of the cliffs that's built up over time. You could feel and see its age, so when I was asked to come up with a voice, which was the only guideline I was given, for the oldest known being in Middle-earth, I suggested Cornish, which everyone thought was great."
'There's an open-endedness to the character'
Despite the fact that he's an iconic character in the source material, Tom Bombadil hasn't featured in an adaptation of Tolkien's literature. Indeed, this is the first time that the fan-favorite character has appeared in a Lord of the Rings project, live-action or otherwise. So, how did Kinnear deal with the weight of expectation of bringing one of The Lord of the Rings' most beloved and mysterious individuals to life?
"I definitely tried to focus on the privilege rather than the pressure," Kinnear responded. "There's an open-endedness and enigmatic quality to this positive force of a character in the books. But, when you dig down into playing someone who's been alive since the dawn of time, who's steeped in history, who can exist in the past and present, and who's both connected to the natural and human world, you have to think 'okay, where does this sit within me?', or 'what can I bring to this?', or 'how does this make me feel?'. But, you also have a blank slate because you don't know how he spoke or what accent he uses. So, while you have a blueprint for how he looks – his blue jacket being part of that – you have to hone in his complexities and nuance as best as you can, and try to bring that to life."
Who's ready for some exclusive interviews from #TheRingsofPower season 2 premiere? You are? Grand, here's clip number one, which sees @maximbaldry tell me which of the titular rings he'd like to own in real life (spoiler - his answer won't surprise you!) pic.twitter.com/iXRntX5WBhAugust 23, 2024
The mystique surrounding Tom Bombadil as an entity notwithstanding, there's little information on the wider role he's played throughout Middle-earth's history. Indeed, much of his history was left undefined by Tolkien, with the legendary author leaving things open to interpretation for his global legion of fans – including Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, the hit Amazon series' showrunners. With little in the way of corroborated evidence about his whereabouts during the Second Age, then, the duo had the creative license to bring 'Old Tom' into the season 2 fold. With The Rings of Power's second season leaning more heavily into The Lord of The Rings' lore, though, they were keen to ensure their take on the character was as authentic as possible.
We want to preserve those mysteries
Co-showrunner Patrick McKay
"Tom Bombadil is a sort of balance to the encroaching darkness in season 2," Payne said. "An important part of Middle-earth is there's always some hope and whimsy that's happening, and Tom is very much that kind of character. He sings songs, speaks in rhymes, is always trying to trick you and you're not sure if he's messing with you, so he brings a nice tonal balance to this season."
"We also didn't want to touch any of what Tolkien's written about him," McKay added. "We want to preserve those mysteries and, hopefully, readers who've been waiting to see him [in a live-action capacity] feel that this depiction really honors that spirit in the books."
As for the role he'll play in The Stranger's story in one of the best Prime Video shows' next chapter, Payne teased: "The Stranger is at a perfect point in his journey to cross paths with a mentor figure and Tom fits that perfectly. So, we brought him in in a very different context to what I think fans are expecting, because he's inhabiting a completely different part of the map to where he is in the Third Age. He's been around for thousands of years, if not more, so why not let him wander?"
Why not indeed. You won't read about 'Old Tom' in my review of The Rings of Power season 2's first three episodes because – spoiler – he doesn't show up in those entries. But, rest assured, he's on his way and I can't wait to see how he's presented on the screen.
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