Returning for a second season after an unprecedented first season of global success reaching over 100 million viewers worldwide, Prime Video’s Rings of Power is ready to take on the challenge of raising the bar to entertain fans of this popular franchise.
There is something about the otherworldliness and unique look of the orcs, even compared to other fantasy shows, that stands out in Rings of Power. These dark creatures are terrifying yet fascinating to both fans of the series and readers of the books.
Black Girl Nerds had the opportunity to travel to the UK where filming took place for Season 2 of the series and saw how the sausage is made. Sarah Gower, most notably known for her work in prosthetics in shows like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and The Last of Us, discussed the tumultuous work and time it takes to apply prosthetics to the actors. In the case of the orcs, it takes 2½ hours to apply their makeup. You can also expect a far more dark and sinister version of these creatures as well this season.
Fresh makeup is applied every day, to make sure it’s kept intact and looks organic and ready for the camera. Gower’s inventory of prosthetics includes 1,500 different kinds as well as 1,500 pairs of ears used this season. Sarah is married to Barrie Gower, and the two have worked together as partners for quite some time. Sarah has worked in prosthetics for 10 years, and Barrie has been in the industry for 20 years.
One of Sarah’s favorite things to do on set is to create prosthetics for the orcs. Each day she will take head measurements of each actor and go to the orc library (keep in mind there are 1,500 prosthetics to choose from here) and pull one to fit each actor. An interesting fact is that lenses on the eyes fundamentally make up the characteristic of an orc as well as their ears and teeth. You will be relieved to know that in a world where computer generated images (CGI) and artificial intelligence (AI) is slowly becoming normalized in various industries, the effects used within this department are all practical.
Prime Video has announced that Season 2 will debut globally on Thursday, August 29, 2024, in more than 240 countries and territories in multiple languages.
