We get to see our first ever female dwarf when Sophia Nomvete plays Princess Disa in Prime Video's The Rings of Power and it promises to be quite a moment.
A non-canonical character invented for the series, Disa is the wife of Prince Durin IV, heir of the underground kingdom of Khazad-Dûm and her inclusion marks an important moment in the Tolkien universe.
While female dwarves may have been mentioned briefly on screen in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and referenced in Tolkien's writings, we've never seen one on screen until now...
"This is one of the most phenomenal, magical, miraculous moments for the fans," says Sophia Nomvete, who plays the dwarf princess. "I have the gift of becoming the first female dwarf we've ever seen and this means absolutely everything to me.
"It's so important that we display the message of empowerment in every single one of its forms, be it diversity, or by being female. So to be able to carry that torch and fly that flag with such a strong image is the biggest turning point of my entire life and career."
Durin IV (Owain Arthur) is known as one of the recipients of the fabled Rings of Power created by Sauron and Celebrimbor and fans can expect Durin and Disa to be central characters in this year's series.
"Disa is a powerhouse," explains Sophia. "She's a force of nature, she's full of heart, she's a wife, she's a mother. She is completely for the people of Khazad-Dûm, but she's also magical and she possesses superhero powers."
Yet if Sophia's been waiting her whole life for a part like this, she required plenty of patience during the shoot itself, as she sometimes spent five hours a day preparing for filming!
"At the start of the shoot it took five hours every morning," says Sophia. "We managed to get it down to about four hours and 20 minutes, but for a lot of the shoot I was coming in at two in the morning!"
"The prosthetic nose alone took between an hour and 40 minutes to put on. The artist who applied it each day was phenomenal and put it on umpteen times over the course of the shoot, but one time I looked at it in the mirror and it was pointing the wrong way and I quickly got back in the chair and we did it again. She'll be furious at me for mentioning it, but I found it so funny."
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power begins on Friday 2 September on Prime Video and is free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
