THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER’S TYROE MUHAFIDIN ON LANDING A ROLE OF A LIFETIME AND HOW HE PREPARED FOR IT

BY: DENISE J. MALLABO

Australian actor TYROE MUHAFIDIN is part of the cast of one of the most talked about series at the moment and he couldn’t be any prouder.

Aussie actor Tyroe Muhafidin had just recently begun acting when he was cast in the Prime Video original series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The show is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in Middle Earth's Era. The eight-episode first season's conclusion will air the following week. The 17-year-old plays Theo, a stubborn, angsty, and fearless son of Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), a healer from Tirharad. “The fun thing about playing Theo is that he's so different from myself that I can fully explore what it's like to be a completely different person. I guess you can say that with acting in itself, but I think Theo is quite literally the polar opposite to myself. It's given me a chance to learn about myself as well through him because of how different we are and it's really fun,” shares Tyroe when asked how it’s like playing Theo. Balancing being a student, budding actor and musician, Tyroe is enjoying everything that’s being handed to him in stride.

FASHION STYLIST: OTHTHAN BURNSIDE, GROOMING: KATHY SANTIAGO, PHOTO ASST: JESSE ZAPATERO, STYLING ASST: MORGAN YAMAMOTO

We learned more about Tyroe in this interview, as he discusses what it's like to work on the series, his music, and his ambition to become a Power Ranger. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is only available on Amazon Prime Video.

Hi, Tyroe. How are you? What were you doing before this interview?

Not bad. Right before this interview I was finishing a little bit of schoolwork that I had to get done so I can graduate, so that's exciting.

What is it about acting that you wanted to pursue it?

For as long as I can remember, it's all I ever really wanted; to be on the big screen. I could not envision myself not doing what I'm doing and I'm so grateful that I am. It's a great way to express myself and my emotions especially because I'm sort of someone who would close myself off rather than let it out. With acting, I get to do that for a job so it's very therapeutic for me, to be honest.

How did acting start for you? Was it something that you’ve always wanted from a young age?

Like I said, for as long as I can remember it's what I've envisioned for my life. I feel like I've manifested it to this point. I got myself an agent and went to a lot of roles, little commercials, and short films and a bit of extra works. All of a sudden, I get a tape in for this show and I'm here. It's really exciting.

It must be awesome to be part of such an amazing show. How would you describe The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?

It's grand but it's small that it's able to encapsulate every little details of every little character. You get a chance to fall in-love with everything whether that's the location, characters, costumes, everything just had love poured into it and you can really see that through the screen.

How is it different from any other series?

I don't think you'd see other series right now that looks as beautiful as this. New Zealand itself is just absolutely incredible and just the landscapes are just gorgeous to look at. When you enhance it with a little bit of CGI, it's just absolutely astonishing and it's all Tolkien's work and he was arguably one of the greatest story tellers ever. It's a real privilege to be able to share that story.

How are you the same with Theo?

We're similar in age, I guess. We both value family and that was something that really resonated with me. I grew up with quite a big family and we're all very, very close knit. I have four siblings and my parents and grandparents live in the backyard, in the granny flat. Family for me has always been really important and it's the same for Theo. Although he only has his mother, I still resonate with that love for home and the people around him that are close.

How did you find the character after getting the role?

I just channeled all the anger I never let out and just put it into Theo. It worked because his thing is that he's just angry and angsty. I never really let that emotion out so I just gave this character a chance for me to express those emotions I couldn't get out before. We know that Theo has that hilt that obviously has a hold on him and the ability to possibly corrupt his mind, in that, I did a little bit of research into the mind of corrupt men in Middle Earth. There's a lot of examples, there's Isildur and Boromir. I took inspiration from them but I had to put my own twist on it because Theo is much younger.

What are the challenges and the highs that you experienced during filming The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? How did you manage to rise above the challenges?

I think the main challenge was being away from home. Filming in the pandemic isn't normal. It's my fist ever job, I was really nervous. I didn't have my whole family there. I was just with my mum. It was hard being away from my whole family and friends for such a long period of time. Honestly, just the idea of working on this job was enough for me to work on that challenge and knowing that I'm making all my family and friends proud by doing what I'm doing. And also, the love for it; looking forward to going on set got me through which was great.

What’s the most memorable moment for you throughout the whole process of making the series?

I guess the most memorable moment would be getting my haircut into that monstrosity [laughs]. I mean, it looks great in the show but walking around the street like I've cut my own bowl cut was quite an experience. I wore a lot of beanies for a bit. It wasn't until then that I got a grip on being Theo and being to look at myself in the mirror and be like "Oh, this is Theo" you know? It was quite a moment.

What is your proudest moment ever from acting in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?

I'm quite happy with what I've done but I know that there's so much further to go. The moment that I'm most happy with would just be the amount of experience that I've gotten from this and the experience itself, it was just completely mind boggling and it's not every 17-year-old gets to do what I did. I'm very, very grateful and blessed and I learned so much. I'd be able to cherish it forever and bring these skills that I've learned from this into everything I do in life.

How did you prepare to play Theo?

I had not much of a process. I'm one of those people that flick in and out of character but one thing that I would do when I'm on my way to the set and before I film in the morning, I would have a playlist made for Theo. If Theo would be living in the world that we're living in today, what kind of music would he be listening to? The playlist had a lot of Kendrick Lamar, Aminé, J.Cole, Joey Badass, Drake, it's very different to my own taste but it's also music that I do like. Listening to that makes me feel like a different person. I have a way to enjoy it but enjoy it as if I was someone else. That really helped me get into the mindset of being a different person.

Who and what inspires you?

It's quite funny because I did a little monologue that I had to give in front of my year seven drama class on what and who inspires me and I said "I inspire myself." Thinking about it now it sounded so self-indulgent but it's the ideas or the goals that I set for myself and the standards that I set for myself and I never want to drop below those standards and I always want to hit my goals. That pushes me every day to keep working and to keep doing what I'm doing. My older brother Tobias, he basically is the older version of me because I just wanted to be the younger version of him. He got to all this stuff before I did and I just want to copy my big bro. I've fallen in-love with it and that's thanks to him.

What’s the biggest discovery that you’ve made about yourself during the pandemic?

It's very interesting for me because going through the pandemic I was 14, 15, 16 and that in itself is a time when people discover a lot about themselves. The people my age would have several experiences but I think I learned patience; it was very important. I also learned about self-care and going out for runs and just doing stuff and appreciating outdoors because we really didn't have that. Growing up in this technology-focused generation we sort of forget how beautiful the world is and to not be allowed outside made me want to go outside. So, when I did, I really appreciated it. It gave me a whole new look on the world.

What’s your dream project? What are you looking forward to in the near future?

My dream project is to be a Power Ranger, that's a goal of mine. I've always wanted to be a Power Ranger. I grew up watching it, loved it. I also want to do well with the music that I make. I make music that I'm going to be releasing soon. That's in the future. I really hope that people will enjoy it because it's something that I hold very dear to me. It's a way that I express myself every single day. I just get all my thoughts and emotions on to a page.

Aside from acting, what else keeps you busy?

My music. I spend at least three to four hours sitting in my little bedroom studio set up. I got my mic and my computer and I write songs. Some of them are horrible but some of them are good so I go to the studio and I record them. I've got some coming out soon and I'm really, really excited to share that. My debut single "In Honesty" comes out in October 21st so stay tuned and listen to that. It's going to be in all platforms. I'm really excited for everyone to hear it.

What’s a valuable lesson that you’ve learned that you always carry with you?

Because I've been away from my family for so long, I learned how important it is in going into this industry knowing that there are people who would love you and there are people whom you could always trust. It's really important to keep them close to you. That's extremely valuable to me because family is number one. It's good to be able to keep those who love you close because they'll always be there for you and appreciate them.

If you were a book, what book would you be and why?

I don't know. I don't really read books. Can it be a comic? It'll be Spiderman. I'd do serious stuff now and again but I'll just try to have fun most of the time.