The relationship between Galadriel and Halbrand in Rings of Power wasn’t intended to be romantic, says Charlie Vickers. Vickers plays Halbrand in the new Middle-earth fantasy series Rings of Power.
Alongside Galadriel, Halbrand was arguably the main character of Rings of Power season 1. Audiences first met the character adrift on a raft in the ocean between Middle-earth and Valinor. He was found by Galadriel after she refused to go the Undying Lands, and the unlikely pair teamed up from there onwards. It was revealed that the character was actually the ‘King of the Southlands‘, and after he travelled to Númenor with Galadriel, he then joined Galadriel back on her journey to Middle-earth to defeat Adar.
Over the course of their time together in the fantasy drama series, the duo formed a magnetic relationship which many fans perceived as romantic. Some even ‘shipped’ the pair, giving them the name ‘Haladriel’. Cute! Well, that is until the reveal in the Rings of Power finale that Halbrand was actually the dark lord Sauron. It was fun while it lasted.
Now, speaking to Variety, Vickers has said that the pair’s relationship wasn’t meant to be romantic. He also said that Morfydd Clark, his co-star who plays Galadriel, had to teach him what ‘shippping’ was – presumably in anticipation of the audience response.
Speaking specifically about their final scene together, Vickers said “When [Halbrand] says, “Join me as a queen,” it’s not to be misinterpreted as romantic. Morfydd taught me the word “shipping” the other day, which I had no idea about.”
The actor continued “I think it’s awesome that people have been reading into it, but my view on this scene is that it’s for his own gain. He’s thinking in this moment, “If she joins me, it’ll help me to enact my plan and it’ll happen faster.”
Sorry Haladriel shippers! The relationship between the pair is definitely not a romantic one. Though, with all their shared glanced and undeniable chemistry, we can see why you might have thought that. If there was any doubt at all though, the fact that Halbrand is Sauron has completely made it clear.
For more Middle-earth deep dives, find out the answer to the question: is Isildur really dead?