Lord Of The Rings Series Actress Reveals What It's Really Like Filming During Lockdown

New Zealand has had one of the best responses in the entire world to the COVID-19 pandemic. The island nation only had 1,569 cases and 22 deaths (via New England Journal of Medicine), and new cases remain rare. As a result, things have gotten more or less back to normal — at least, compared to the rest of the world. In addition to holding sporting events and visiting loved ones without as much trepidation, film productions have also begun getting back to work in New Zealand, including the highly-anticipated Lord of the Rings series from Amazon. 

The Amazon series is bound to dive into more of the lore of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, following in the footsteps of the big-screen trilogy from director Peter Jackson. The series takes place long before the events of Jackson's films, but one thing it will have in common with those movies is the lush backdrop of New Zealand.

Thanks to the country's response to the pandemic, we'll get to see this new Lord of the Rings series sooner than so many other TV shows and films that have had to delay production. In fact, one cast member has already spoken out about the challenges of filming while much of the world is on lockdown, and what viewers should look for when the series finally arrives on Amazon Prime. 

When COVID-19 lockdowns first went into effect, most people quarantined with family members or roommates. But for actress Morfydd Clark, who will play a young Galadriel in the series, a lockdown meant being trapped with other actors she had just met. In an interview with NME, Clark went on the record about really getting to know her costars. 

"It's definitely strange going into lockdown with people that you have just started working with," Clark stated. "But I think we all treat each other like family. Sure, you'll occasionally get annoyed by people, but you still like them... because you don't have a choice. I think this time I've spent with the cast will be useful on set. But I obviously worry that the audience will be able to see in our eyes that certain sections were filmed pre-lockdown and some afterwards."

The significance of the role isn't lost on Clark, who went on to say that she and her friends would watch Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings any time they went back home from university. The hype is real, and Clark's friends will no doubt be ecstatic to see her give new life to Galadriel. While no release date has been set for the series, we'll hopefully get to see Clark and the rest of the cast as our favorite Middle-earth characters on Amazon very soon.