Adam Young arrives on Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three with a brand-new perspective on the rich world J. R. R. Tolkien established 72 years ago with The Fellowship of the Ring. Young exclusively discusses the joys and challenges that come with playing ‘an orc with an arc’ while also sharing details of a forthcoming play that's particularly personal to him.
Interview David Opie Photography Christian Trippe
Danshan black mesh blazer, Zara x John Galliano black mesh polo top, vintage white cotton string vest, vintage black wool military trousers, Maison Margiela black leather shoes.
Can you tell us about Marnûkh, the orc character you're playing in The Rings of Power season three?
Marnûkh is Sauron's right-hand man. He's worked his way up to be a general, and he's got a pretty strong motive from the off. That leads him on a journey with the elves and Galadriel behind enemy lines. Marnûkh has questionable motives about Lord Sauron forging the One Ring.
Season one was a lot of world building, season two is obviously the rise of Sauron, and then we land in season three, where it's a lot darker. I won't say too much, but showrunners JD [Payne] and Patrick [McKay] have done a brilliant job with this character. When you look back at the films, we've never really had an orc with an arc.
Season three kicks off with a time jump. Did that affect your approach to the character?
I was given a lot of freedom to play around with the character, and the cast were amazing at really welcoming me into that world. I was essentially in their living room because these guys have been doing it for a long time.
The details crafted by all the women and men that helped make this world, jumping into places like Rivendell and Mount Doom… I had an absolute blast. I didn't have to do a lot of imagining because it was all in front of me. I take my hat off to the hundreds of people that helped craft it all.
Unbranded nude mesh tank, Rick Owens SS2016 white cotton shirt, vintage black leather waistcoat, Versace black leather trousers, Maison Margiela black leather shoes.
"I didn't have to do a lot of imagining because it was all in front of me."
Versace black silk shirt, unbranded black silk scarf, Bloom black leather belt, Sarah Garfield black silk trousers, Maison Margiela black leather shoes.
Your prosthetics play a big part in that too. What was that like to get to grips with on set?
I was introduced to Barrie Gower and Patt Foad very early on, so we spent a couple of weeks doing a lot of test makeup, hair, costume… That was drip fed over about a month.
Then they showed me a lot of early concept ideas. We were coming in doing photo shoots, camera shoots, test shoots, different costumes. I was blown away by the amount of detail that was involved. Barrie and Patt have worked on shows like The Last of Us, Stranger Things. They are wizards of the game so I was in safe hands.
Shooting was probably the hardest part of the job, the early hours, and being sat in a chair for about six to seven hours before I'd even got onto set. But by the end, they were doing it in an hour and 40. It was a lot of sitting in the chair and sleeping, and then also trying not to sleep.
There was a lot of freedom and dexterity within the prosthetics, a lot of movement. I felt like I could hide behind it so that just made my job a lot easier. I didn't have to push it too much. Then you go throughout the day, you get sweatier and you forget that it's on. I was going to the toilet and making people jump because I forgot that I was in it [Laughs].
Orc in the bathroom!
Yeah, orc in the bathroom with the gammy teeth, washing his hands.
Did you find bits were coming off as the day went on?
The only thing was eating and drinking, so you'd have touch-ups on lips and teeth. They were regularly putting this black liquorice liquid on my tongue to give me this black texture. It was really tasty, but it meant that my tongue was permanently black for about seven months. They were working on bits of hair, and the odd bit of jewellery would fall off. But it was nothing too major. We were all conscious as a collective to look after the costume and prosthetics.
Unbranded white mesh skirt worn as overlay, vintage white cotton string vest, vintage black wool military trousers, Maison Margiela black leather shoes.
Versace black silk shirt, unbranded black silk scarf, Bloom black leather belt, Sarah Garfield black silk trousers, Maison Margiela black leather shoes.
"My tongue was permanently black for about seven months."
Unbranded white mesh skirt worn as overlay, vintage white cotton string vest, vintage black wool military trousers, Maison Margiela black leather shoes.
How was the stunt work?
I did a fair bit of that. There's one episode, a whole one take, which goes on for a long time. It's a big fight scene, so we spent quite a few hours getting the choreography down. I really enjoyed that because I come from a bit of a dance background. You know the beats to hit, and then you can relax into it, start to slowly build up.
The stunt team really looked after us, and a lot of them also came from a dance background. Choreography and hitting those beats were really important, and then obviously everyone's safety net as well. With the physicality, it was made all the easier by the costume and the weight. I was wrapped in that and rags and armour and chains, and that helped me morph into this character.
Can you tell us more about your dance background?
In 2008, I saw a local youth theatre do a version of West Side Story with people my age at the time. That following summer, I ended up joining an Easter workshop. I owe a lot to the Petersfield Youth Theatre. They were teaching me things like dance and stagecraft, what a lighting technician does, just performing every summer and Christmas. Man, it was wicked. Those were some of the happiest memories I have.
Then I got into drama school and realised I actually know a little bit more than I thought I did, just in terms of being on stage, stuff like that. But talk about full circle. Jamie [Campbell Bower], who plays [the Elven lord] Celeborn in the show, went to the same youth theatre. He was a couple of years older than me, and I never got to perform with him. But I always looked up to him.
So then I got there and I found out that he was in the show. He'd worked with Barrie and Patt on Stranger Things before. I was like, "This is a crazy full circle." I had a little bit of a fan moment telling him, "You went to the same youth theatre as me." We were just having a coffee outside talking about all the old shows. So that was really nice.
Unbranded nude mesh tank, Rick Owens SS2016 white cotton shirt, vintage black leather waistcoat, Versace black leather trousers, Maison Margiela black leather shoes.
"We've never really had an orc with an arc."
Black silk neck tie, vintage black leather blazer.
Do you have any theatre work lined up beyond The Rings of Power?
Yes, a play called "Tattooed on my Leg". This is a play that has been in the works for about six years. A good friend of mine, who I went to drama school with, lost his brother through heroin addiction when we were both 21 or 22. I was living with him, and we're still friends to this day.
The play is about two brothers after one brother dies from a drug overdose. It's raw and poetic, a music-soaked story about addiction, grief, and love. It's non-linear, and it's kind of funny in places, much like grief, and then it moves through poetry and prose with the music from an old band that his brother was rhythm guitarist for. That's the undercurrent of music and sound throughout the play.
We've been working on that, chiselling away for a while. We get to do it in January. It's on for a week, from the 12th to the 16th, at the Drayton Arms Theatre Pub. I'm really excited to get back on stage and perform with him.
It must be so gratifying to finally bring this story to life after so long.
Will [B. Russell] wrote this play through coming out of therapy. I remember reading it years ago, and I was just really blown away by it. We ended up doing a couple of scratch nights in Copenhagen, which was received really well. It's still very emotional and still very personal for him, and for me in many ways, watching my friend go through it. But we're in a really good place with it now to tell the story.
The way that people with addiction are dehumanised and criminalised for having an addiction is completely wrong. This young man was put on a list and told to go to A&E because he had depression and addiction and was just kind of put aside. I have known people with addictive personalities and addiction, so it's very personal to me and Will.
Circling back to The Rings of Power, what does it mean to you to join a franchise that resonates with so many people?
The fan base is huge for the Tolkien world. I remember watching those first three films as a teenager and being blown away by them. I think of the kids at home watching and escaping into this kind of show, getting lost in the magic of it.
It was just an honour. A lot of pinch-me moments. "All right, let's go into work and get covered in a load of prosthetics and run around with swords." 12-year-old me is freaking out, you know?
"12-year-old me is freaking out, you know?"
Versace black silk shirt, unbranded black silk scarf, Bloom black leather belt, Sarah Garfield black silk trousers, Maison Margiela black leather shoes.
Vintage 1950s black wool dinner jacket, unbranded nude mesh tank, vintage black leather gloves. Tusks by Orc.Style
Team credits
Interview: David Opie
Photography: Christian Trippe
Styling: Matt King using Disorder Archive
Grooming & MUA: Luke Slyka
Photo assistant: Jack Burgess
Production: Kummerspeck
Location: Epitome Studio
Thanks to SJ Comms
READ NEXT
