Tyroe Muhafidin, Ismael Cruz Cordova on grief, healing and PH connection

Ismael Cruz Cordova as Arondir | PRIME VIDEO

SINGAPORE—When we spoke to teenage Australian actor Tyroe Muhafidin during a one-on-one chat about Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” two years ago, we discussed how his character Theo was dealing with the brewing tension between him and his mom Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi). It’s a conflict resulting from the latter’s budding romance with elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova).

Since relationships between humans and elves in Middle-earth are rarely seen in a positive light, Theo, as Tyroe explained, was also dealing with the downbeat perception within their community that he’s “the son of a traitor.”

For the series’ acclaimed eight-part sophomore season (84 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), Tyroe—the show’s youngest regular cast member at 18—must now deal with his character’s sense of guilt and regret after Bronwyn succumbs to a fatal infection caused by an Orc’s arrow.

In an Instagram post, Nazanin explained her decision to step back from acting in favor of activism. She said, “I stepped away from acting in September 2022 to focus solely on the #WomanLifeFreedom uprising in Iran and to advocate for the people of my homeland who have been risking everything for freedom.”

What Nazanin said to us in that precious 2022 interview says a lot about her departure from the series.

“Actually, there’s a lot about Bronwyn that truly resonates with me,” the lovely RADA-trained British-Iranian actress told us. “I call Bronwyn the fantastical version of myself. Because she is committed to her people. She wants to liberate them from the shackles of their past.

“I myself am a human rights activist for my homeland, Iran. In my activism, I’ve come across hundreds of women who are at the forefront of the fight for democracy and freedom in Iran—and they inspired this role.

“There’s so much of Bronwyn that I relate to … she’s tenacious and resilient. She’s got an inner lioness in her … I hope that resonates with viewers as much as it does with me.”

‘A journey of learning’

When we met Tyroe for the show’s splashy Season 2 premiere in Singapore last month, we asked him what he learned from that tricky mother-son relationship in Season 1.

“I think the really important thing to take away from that relationship is [the fact] that Bronwyn is the only person to ever make Theo feel loved … that is the only idea of love that he has ever seen and felt,” Tyroe reiterated.

“This season is really hard for Theo. It isn’t easy for him to really trust and open up [to anyone] because he’s been hurt so many times … he’s gone through so much pain. And I think it’s a journey of learning that love can come in different forms, because the only way he knows is the way that Bronwyn showed him. And that’s something that we can dive into this season and in future seasons. He will learn that it is possible to be loved.”

That’s a very mature way of putting it, we told the 18-year-old actor-musician. Meanwhile, Ismael, who was paired with him for this exclusive chat with Inquirer Entertainment, reassured his young costar, “[That was] beautiful.”

We told Ismael that Arondir is one of our favorite characters in the series because of the way he conveys the embattled elf’s vulnerable side—a seasoned warrior who wears his heart on his sleeve.

When we said that we were from the Philippines, Ismael’s face lit up and told us that he was familiar with his Filipino followers’ relationship with “their titos, titas, lolos, lolas” because of his fondness and friendship with so many Pinoys.

He said, “First and foremost, I’m very happy to be here with you … that this is going to be seen in the Philippines. I have a very, very, very close relationship with the Philippines. All my best friends are from over there. I have such great friends.

“You know, I was trying to learn a little bit of Filipino phrases, but I’m too shy [to say them], so I’ll just say, ‘Mabuhay!’ I’m incredibly excited to be here.”

In what ways were Arondir’s issues relatable to Ismael?

“All of them [were relatable to me],” he quipped. “His issues deeply resonated with me, that’s why I gravitated towards the character so deeply when I first read the script, because I’m an extremely curious person. Sometimes, I worry too much about the state of the world, to my own detriment.

Standards of humanity

“I’m one of those people who has to stop looking at the news for at least a day, because I feel all of it, you know? I’m consistently thinking, ‘What can I do? How can I make this better? Am I living to my best potential?’

“This guy [Arondir] is the same. I am extremely loyal and I’m also a heavily imperfect, deeply flawed person—and I’m OK with that. We’re always struggling, trying hard not to be soft and gentle, always talking about ourselves in a positive way.

“People have these standards of humanity that are just not realistic … like, we have to be completely good all the time, that we can’t stray from [what’s expected of us]. But that’s not real! I don’t know why we’re striving for something like that. We’re consistently just knocking ourselves in corners.

“I always tell my nephew, who’s the same age as Tyroe, ‘It isn’t about not making mistakes, it’s about trying to make new mistakes and learning a little more from them. Because it’s inevitable that we’ll be making a new one along the way. That is why I feel very drawn to Arondir.

Ismael Cruz Cordova as Arondir | PRIME VIDEO

“I also have a very deep experience with grief in my own life—like losing my sister, who was closest to me. So being able to express all these themes and topics has been a very healing experience for me.”

Given the good reviews “The Rings of Power” got last season, we asked Ismael and Tyroe in what way they thought Season 2 is better than the previous one.

“Oh, the word ‘better’ gets us in tricky territory … maybe ‘different’ is a better word?” answered Ismael, laughing. “But I would say that after establishing the story in the pilot season, we are now afforded a deeper look at the characters’ complexities, which make them more relatable. I think people go on this journey with us because they’re learning to care about these characters.

“As far as the spectacle part of all this is concerned, there’s a bunch of ‘Tolkienesque’ creatures that get introduced here … and they’re going to blow people’s minds!

“One of my favorite moments that I’m so happy about is we get to bring in the ‘tree-herding’ Ents (known as the ‘shepherds of the forests’ in Tolkien lore). You have no idea what they look like! I mean, I had the privilege of introducing the Ents in the show, and they’re going to sweep you off your feet!”