Who Plays Nori Brandyfoot On The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power?

Amazon's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" premieres on September 2, 2022, and when it does it will take viewers back to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. This time around, the story will take place during the Second Age. It's an era that lasted about 3,500 years and predates the events of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings."

During this time period–which "The Rings of Power" will condense from hundreds of years to a much shorter timeline (via Vanity Fair)–the Rings of Power are created, Sauron rises to take the place of the Dark Lord Morgoth, and Sauron's forces go to war with the elves, humans, and dwarves, culminating in Sauron's temporary defeat at the hands of Isildur. "The Rings of Power" is set to cover five seasons at ten episodes per, so it's got plenty of time to cover some or all of these events in loving detail. 

Obviously, this is going to be a story about kings, warriors, wizards, and all other manner of powerful fantasy beings. But it's also a Tolkien story, and that means at least one of the point-of-view characters will be a humble hobbit.

In this case, it's Elanor "Nori" Brandyfoot. Showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne created Nori for the TV series, as she doesn't appear in any of Tolkien's works. Not much is known about her at this point, other than the fact that she's a Harfoot hobbit, one of the three hobbit varieties.

However, we do know the actress playing her: Markella Kavenagh. Here's everything to know about her.

Markella Kavenagh hails from Australia and was born in 2000. She was still a teenager working at the retailer Sportsgirl when she got the call to audition for "The Rings of Power" (via The Sydney Morning-Herald).

Nori Brandyfoot is by far Kavenagh's biggest role, but it's not her first. Before "The Rings of Power," she had supporting roles in several Australian TV series and movies. The first came in 2018, when she played Cindi in the miniseries sequel to the 1992 movie "Romper Stomper." That same year, she also appeared in "Picnic at Hanging Rock," about three schoolgirls who mysteriously go missing in 1900, and "The Cry," about a couple whose infant goes missing on a road trip.

In 2019, she appeared in the comedy mystery series "My Life is Murder," which starred Lucy Lawless, and the movie "True History of the Kelly Gang," about bushranger Ned Kelly.

Finally, in 2020 she appeared in the supernatural mystery series "The Gloaming," and had the co-lead role in the romantic drama "My First Summer."

Obviously, Nori Brandyfoot is going to be a game-changer for Kavenagh's career. At just 21, it's off to a great start.