Rings of Power’s Rory Kinnear shares one-word teaser for Tom Bombadil’s first appearance

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is finally introducing a fan-favourite Middle Earth character in season two, though fans have a little longer to wait before his live-action debut.

Express.co.uk spoke exclusively to Rory Kinnear, who is bringing Tom Bombadil to life, to give viewers a small taste of what’s coming later in the season.

While die-hard JRR Tolkien fans will have been waiting decades to meet this iconic character, it’s just been “a mere blink of the eye in his life” since he was first introduced in the author’s 1934 poem The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and, later, his 1954 epic trilogy, Rory cheekily observes.

One of the most mysterious characters in the Tolkien mythos, Tom has been omitted from Lord of the Rings adaptations until now as he prefers to remain periphery to the main plot.

Despite not joining the fight against Sauron (played by Charlie Vickers), he’s considered one of, if not the most powerful being in Middle Earth, even being able to shun the influence of the alluring One Ring.

In the second season of The Rings of Power, he’ll be aiding the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) in his quest for self-discovery, but viewers won’t get to meet him until episode four, showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay confirmed.

As fans await Tom’s first-ever appearance in a major Tolkien adaptation, Rory shared just one word for what they can expect from his very first moments on screen.

“I will say… goat!” he exclaimed, flashing a cryptic smile. “There you are, that’s a taste.”

“Greatest of all time,” his co-star Daniel teased. “Eldest of all time.”

As Tom has almost never been portrayed by an actor in live-action before, Rory was thrilled to have a “free pass” in this series. “I can do what I want,” he added enthusiastically.

“I think Tolkien had something to do with it,” he stressed. “And our showrunners as well.

“Obviously, certainly the look of him and then there’s the couple of chapters in the book… that’s always where we’re going from.

“And then what JD and Patrick have intuited from those chapters into how they want their story to go forward and how they’re going to use him. You’re aware that he exists in many, many thousands of people’s imaginations, but you can’t possibly fulfill all of their requirements in terms of bringing all of their imaginations to life.

“So, in the end, you just have to remember you can only do what you can do, which is ‘Where does he sit within me? How do I react to him? How do I feel about the relationships he creates and his relationship to the natural world and the universe around him?’

“You ask yourself questions about how you feel about all of those things.”

Rory’s co-star Daniel also previewed an intriguing dynamic between the Stranger and Tom when they finally meet midway through the second season.

“The interactions are largely about someone inviting the Stranger to come and join them and when the Stranger gets there he’s not there anymore,” he shared. “He’s gone somewhere else.

“It’s like, he opens a door, it’s not what you thought was behind it. He sings a song, the Stranger’s utterly confused. The Stranger’s basically confused the whole time, I don’t think he understands… he’s not fully developed enough to really get what Tom’s going on about.

“And that might be part of Tom’s plan, I don’t know. But, certainly, there was an awful lot of stuff that happened which just shocked and destabilised the Stranger. There’s some great trickery and sleight of hand that Tom uses and it’s all pretty discombobulating.”

“He’s playing catch-up for most of the series, isn’t he?” Rory added.

Showrunners JD and Patrick revealed season two was the perfect time to introduce Tom as he offers a balance to what’s shaping up to be a much darker season as Sauron begins to weave his spell over Middle Earth.

“He’s going to do some horrible things along the way,” Patrick warned. “But what’s really important in Tolkien and any adaptation of stories in Middle Earth is to find moments of real joy and beauty and wonder and humour and warmth.

“Part of the tonal balance of this particular season… we needed Tom. We needed his songs, we needed his trickster nature, we needed his little wink and gleam in the eye. So hopefully he fits right into the tapestry.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 continues Wednesdays on Prime Video.