26:NEXT! RINGS OF POWER STAR ACTOR TYROE MUHAFIDIN TALKS THEO, MAKING MUSIC + LOVE AS THE LUXURY!
BY: COREY GUEVARRA, EDITOR IN CHIEF
PHOTOGRAPHY: IRVIN RIVERA
What a time to be alive! Many of our favorite cult classics are back on the screen with brand new storylines to the delight of millions worldwide! One franchise topping the list of must see (again) adaptations is the highly anticipated Lord Of The Rings franchise return: The Rings of Power! Pivoting into today’s streaming format, the new Amazon Prime led fantasy-drama delves into a myriad of mid-evil story arcs introducing a full new cast of characters we all INSTANTLY wanted more of! Among the brood of new faves, we met Tyroe Muhafidin whose character Theo quickly became one of the most integral parts of the ever engulfing plot! For many original fans of the franchise, whether we noticed or not, Theo subconsciously tugged at our attention, reminding us of the gaze we once kept on another young [LOTR] male lead: Frodo Baggins (then played by Elijah Wood). Similarly, Theo finds himself both in possession of and attempting to resist, a dangerous piece of contraband that has the key power to unravel ALL of Middle Earth!
Now that the season has wrapped with an epic finale, we were able to catch up with Tyroe, the 17 year old fresh face who’s performance absolutely proves that he takes his craft with a serious skillfullness, delivering believability & connection beyond his years. Talking with the Perth [Australia] native, he calls his beginnings “quite humble” as 1 of a family of 7. “It was a struggle at times, but we made it through” he cheered. Beginning his acting career at just 9 years old, doing commercials and “short films here and there”, Tyroe says “it never really got serious until I landed THIS role”.
"ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS FOCUS ON THEO AND DO HIM JUSTICE"!
A truly serious event indeed, as numerous reports cited Amazon Prime shelling out anywhere from around $465M to upwards of $1B to bring this incredible 1st season to life. “I think this is [a lot of my castmates’] first role in something of this magnitude because, I don't think there's really been anything quite SO big made for TV before! So I think everyone working on this project felt equal parts excited and anxious about it. We were all able to channel that into hard work and passion however, and if anything, it just drove us to do even better; especially in my case”. I can admit, Tyroe confesses, “it was a bit nerve-wracking for me initially. I think I'd only been on a set with a maximum of maybe 20 people before this. So to go from that to something with cameras on cranes and massive tents with hundreds of people, at first it was admittedly jarring. Gratefully though, the cast around me and the directors and showrunners really helped me focus on the job at hand and once acclimated, ALL I wanted to do was to focus on Theo and do him justice!
When asked how he did in fact quiet the noise and prepare for the role? “I just kind of read the script and went with my instincts, Tyroe replied. I researched Tolkien and his themes and ideas, especially about men, because [though in a world of elves and harfoots] I’m playing a human, and I just tried to incorporate that. I didn't want to overthink it because I didn't want to overdo my performance, I wanted to keep it as natural as I could”!
Another facet that seems to come natural to Tyroe [irl] is his personal sense of style! Outside of Middle Earth, Tyroe is apparently already making a splash on the fashion scene. As the world met him during the show’s premiere promo tour, Tyroe turned heads bringing a unique yet solid and satisfying style to the carpets! There were pearls paired with double breasted blazers and doc Martens accenting oversized shirts and for what I’d gather were all the right reasons, every fit somehow felt like perfection! In fact Tyroe’s alternative aesthetic couldn’t help but [fondly, gently] remind me of a young Kurt Cobain!
Tyroe’s rockstar style is actually befitting, as the 17 year old also happens to be a self-produced hip hop infused-indie pop artist! “I've been singing since I was around 11 or 12” He explained. “I got into singing lessons and then I started writing when I was around 14. It didn't get serious until I moved to New Zealand and I'd bought myself my first little recording set up. I had a mic and an interface on my laptop and decided every night I was going to make a beat or write a song to hone my skills. Now, I spend a lot of time in my bedroom recording and honestly, I love it! It's a great outlet for emotion and I really hope that it's good music that people like”.
To close our interview, I asked Tyroe our staple question, to describe his definition of luxury. I’m always [a little extra] intrigued to hear this answer from our younger stars just beginning their journeys. Aside from getting a glance at the next generation’s perspectives, hopefully 10, 20 years from now, they’ll look back fondly and see a hint of who they were then. With an easy confidence he replied “I think luxury is being in a place you love with people you love”.
-And with that my hope for [our] Earth’s future snapped into a state of restoration! This young star is a lead on one of, if not the biggest show of the year. Nowhere were there mentions of money or materialism as he lamented on luxury. 17 year olds leading with duly noted ‘love’ as the way? -Sign us ALL up for this future!
"I THINK LUXURY IS BEING IN A PLACE YOU LOVE WITH PEOPLE YOU LOVE"
