All Hail Cynthia Addai-Robinson
The new queen of Númenor says she’s just scratching the surface of her career in Rings of Power’s epic second season.
We know shockingly little about Tar-Míriel, an embattled queen created by J.R.R. Tolkien.
“She’s written about, but it’s a sketch of a character,” Cynthia Addai-Robinson tells Inverse. The British-born actor brings Míriel to life in Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but the source material she had to work with is pretty slim — and that’s putting it generously. “There’s information about her, but it doesn’t go into her inner life or inner mind.”
Tolkien describes Míriel briefly in The Silmarillion, writing: “Her hair was like silver; and she was slender as a white flower in the grass. Soft and sweet was her voice, and she sang as she worked.” There’s not much else to her story beyond a physical description and a tragic fate — something that presented a challenge when it came time to adapt the character on-screen.
But when they set out to create their Lord of the Rings prequel series, showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne saw that lack of detail as a rare opportunity (remember, Amazon doesn’t even have the rights to adapt The Silmarillion, just the LOTR appendices). In reimagining the character, they did more than flesh out that initial sketch: Their version of Míriel might as well be an entirely new character. Where Tolkien positions her as a sort of fairy-tale princess — a character designed to be seen, not heard — The Rings of Power reboots Míriel into a shrewd, conflicted ruler. To bring the role to life, McKay and Payne cast Addai-Robinson, the daughter of Ghanaian and American parents best known for turns as hardened warriors and Machiavellian antagonists.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Míriel in Rings of Power Season 2.
Míriel plays a more active role in the story here, growing beyond her original role as a literal footnote. This makes her the perfect personification of Rings of Power’s biggest challenge — and its greatest strength. Only a small number of the show’s characters are native to the works of Tolkien. But given that the series is diving into a little-known era of Middle-earth lore (the story takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings), that may be for the best, as Tolkien’s Legendarium doesn’t always offer a thorough account of events. In this absence of information, the show is free to create fascinating new characters like Tar-Míriel almost entirely from scratch.
And in this case, it doesn’t hurt that they found a badass actor like Cynthia Addai-Robinson to play Míriel, a challenge that expands in surprising new ways as The Rings of Power hurtles into its second season.
Beyond Tolkien
“We’ve all relaxed into it a little bit. We have ownership over these characters.”
It’s not easy carving a new niche in what’s regarded as the holy grail of fantasy IP, but The Rings of Power achieved the impossible in its first season. It went from a series few seemed to want — thanks in part to its fast-and-loose relationship with Tolkien lore, and in part to its diverse casting choices — to the streamer’s “most watched” original series, attracting 25 million viewers worldwide. Given the $250 million Amazon spent just on the rights to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, it seems like it’s all paying off. The show has come a long way from its debut in 2022. Now, with awkward introductions out of the way, cast and crew alike can exhale.
“We’ve all relaxed into it a little bit,” Addai-Robinson says. “We have ownership over these characters. We know these characters. We’re going to grow alongside the characters.”
That’s the right attitude to have, especially when playing in a franchise so many fans feel ownership over. Addai-Robinson seems utterly unfazed by any adverse reaction to the series, past or present, and you almost envy her repose. It’s no wonder she was tapped to play one of Rings of Power’s many sovereign rulers. Míriel is the definition of cooler heads prevailing, especially going into a chaotic second season.
Before Rings of Power, Addai-Robinson appeared in everything from The Vampire Diaries to Law & Order.
The Rings of Power splits its focus between multiple points of interest across Middle-earth. There are the Elves on the edge of the Sundering Seas, the Dwarf mines of Khazad-dûm, and the isolated island of Númenor — the kingdom of Men, where Míriel presides as queen regent. Her rule is just one of many things in jeopardy in Season 2. After leading the kingdom’s finest warriors into a blistering battle against an army of Orcs, Míriel has lost the trust of her subjects. (She also, notably, loses her sight in a fire.) She returns to Númenor at the very end of Season 1 to learn that her elderly father, the king, is dead. This sets the tone for “a very dark turn” as the story continues, with Míriel grappling with grief as she tries to hold the kingdom together.
“It’s hard to watch people suffer,” says Addai-Robinson. “And in Míriel’s case, it’s like a triple whammy.”
Paired with souring tensions between Númenor’s Faithful (those still loyal to the god-like Valar and maintaining alliances with the Elves) and the King’s Folk (who put their faith in the pride and wealth of Men), The Rings of Power is diving headfirst into a familiar type of conflict.
With Rings of Power Season 2 dropping at the height of a dizzyingly dramatic American presidential election, it’s hard not to draw parallels between the fight over power in Númenor and the real-life conflicts between left- and right-wing political parties. Most actors might prefer to avoid commenting on such a touchy topic, but Addai-Robinson leans right in when asked about Númenor’s real-world parallels.
“Because we’re in a bit of a political storyline, it’s easy to draw conclusions,” she says. “These are scary times. In fact, that would be understating it. You have a lot of conflict. You have a lot of polarization. Oftentimes, if you have two conflicting viewpoints, it’s easy to demonize [the other side], dehumanize them, and basically not attempt to have any understanding. It can become a very black-and-white thing, when you know that in the world, it’s complicated. There are shades of gray.”
“Because we’re in a bit of a political storyline, it’s easy to draw conclusions. These are scary times.”
Still, the actor resists the instinct to compare Rings of Power’s Númenor plot to any current events, and for good reason.
“There’s a little bit of something for everyone that can speak to them directly, but I think if you get too specific, it’s a slippery slope,” Addai-Robinson says. “It’s most effective when it really is speaking to any time in history.”
Instead, the actor likes to focus on themes and arcs that concern her character. She sees Míriel as “a force for good,” navigating a dark world in increasingly dark times. The question is how she can avoid going down a dark path of her own.
“What you hope for Season 2 is that you're watching a woman who’s going to navigate all these losses and challenges and burdens, and come out on the other side,” Addai-Robinson says. “You’re really rooting for Míriel.”
Míriel and Elendil
“I love the idea of fan fiction and shipping and people continuing with the story in their own mind.”
Despite seeming utterly isolated, Míriel isn’t completely alone on Númenor. She does have one true ally left in Elendil (Lloyd Owen), the leader of a group of Faithful warriors and sailors. After Míriel is blinded in the first big battle of Season 1, Elendil becomes her new confidant. The pair commits to leading Númenor back to the light in the Season 1 finale, clinging to their faith and each other despite all they’ve endured. This doesn’t require a reading any deeper than a simple alliance. But in this post-streaming era, where emotional intimacy is all but extinct on-screen, a clandestine exchange between two allies is never just that.
Míriel’s relationship with Elendil is one of the many pairings that Rings of Power fans have been “shipping” for the past two years, and Addai-Robinson is well aware.
“I have seen and heard some things that make me smile,” the actor says with a laugh. “I love the idea of fan fiction and shipping and people continuing with the story in their own mind. It’s really a different level of engagement.”
“I've just scratched the surface of what I can do, and not just as an actor.”
Rings of Power Season 2 will continue Míriel and Elendil’s story in its own way, but Addai-Robinson speaks more about exploring the gray areas in this relationship than any outright consummation. Apparently, the season will have plenty for people to “pick up on” — “I think I can say that!” — but it’s also just beginning to test the waters of their relationship.
“Lloyd and I definitely picked up on the fact that there is something interesting to explore here,” she says. It’s not always laid out plainly in the text, but nestled between the lines. “There’s an interesting dynamic when you have something that is not a clearly defined relationship. I’m not even sure they dare to define it, but it certainly feels like it starts to go beyond just queen and loyal servant.”
Míriel mourns her father at the start of Season 2.
Addai-Robinson seems to enjoy exploring the unspoken. Subtext is a big part of the process for Míriel especially: She’s a character that few other characters in The Rings of Power have figured out, with armor (both literal and figurative) protecting her innermost thoughts and feelings.
That’s partially where the character’s costumes come into play, each tailor-made “couture” piece fitted exclusively for Addai-Robinson. Míriel is to The Rings of Power what Padmé Amidala was to Star Wars. Sure, her life was mired in political drama, but at least she looked good while fighting a losing battle against fascism.
Addai-Robinson relishes her role of being The Rings of Power’s best dressed, even if some of her most ornate outfits — like Season 2’s mosaic coronation gown — took months or even years to get right.
“I’m one of the actors that spends a lot of time in the costume department,” she says. “It’s a very thorough process, but I love it. How often do you get to wear something like that?”
What’s Next?
Addai-Robinson will play a major role in The Accountant 2 opposite Ben Affleck.
Míriel came at an interesting time in Addai-Robinson’s life, and in her career. She describes it all as “kismet.”
“She gives me sort of a safe place to put a lot of my thoughts and feelings,” the actor says.
Some might call Míriel a career-defining role, especially after so many years of smaller parts on TV and film. Whether you recognize her from films like The Accountant, as Amanda Waller in Arrow, or in guest appearances on The Vampire Diaries and Law & Order, the actor has a face you don’t forget, but she’s determined to move beyond just being another “that guy” who you’re excited to recognize on-screen.
“I’ve just scratched the surface of what I can do,” Addai-Robinson says, “and not just as an actor.”
“It feels like a little bit of a victory lap.”
The actor has “every intention” of exploring other corners of the industry, producing and directing in particular. She’s curious about every level of storytelling and how it all contributes to the collaborative process.
That said, there’s still a story to tell in The Rings of Power. A third season hasn’t been greenlit just yet, but if all goes to plan, Addai-Robinson could be heading back to Middle-earth before too long. For now, though, the actor is happy to enjoy the present moment. After putting in the work for 20 years — and bringing Míriel to life for the past four — she’s earned some time to reflect.
“It feels like a little bit of a victory lap,” she says wistfully. “I am constantly in a state of gratitude — but still curious, still hungry, and just hopeful that the next experience will be just as awesome as the last.”
