'The Rings of Power' star Morfydd Clark said she thought she'd be cast as a hobbit instead of an elf

• "The Rings of Power" star Morfydd Clark said thinks she thinks she looks like a hobbit.
• The Welsh actress plays the elf Galadriel in the "Lord of the Rings" prequel series.

"The Rings of Power" star Morfydd Clark said she thought she would be cast as a hobbit rather than an elf in the new Amazon Prime show.

Clark plays the elf Galadriel in the prequel series, serving as one of the few characters from the film trilogy to make it into "The Rings of Power." Actress Cate Blanchett played Galadriel in the original movies.

In an interview with The Independent's Nick Hilton published Friday, the Welsh actress said her face looks more like that of the hairy-footed fantasy creature than the wise and graceful elf.

"I much more thought that I'd be a hobbit than an elf," Clark said. "I think I have a slightly unnerving face."

Still, the actress admitted that her looks do have some elven qualities, adding, "I can look quite extreme and a bit evil. Which I guess is slightly elfish, maybe!"

Amazon announced in a press release Saturday that "The Rings of Power," which debuted on Thursday, drew more than 25 million viewers for its first two episodes. It set a record as Prime Video's biggest premiere ever, the studio added.

Clark told The Independent that she "still doesn't believe she's going to be famous" and finds it strange to think about. She said she grew up in JRR Tolkein's fantasy universe and watched "The Lord of the Rings" films with her parents.

"My parents loved the books. My dad had read 'The Hobbit' to me ... I was watching it wanting to actually be in Middle-earth," she said of the fictional setting.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon spent $715 million on the rights and production for the first season of the series. Despite the company's big budget, The Associated Press reported earlier this month that hundreds of workers in the UK staged a protest over wage disputes with the company.

When asked how she felt about the studio's spending amid employee walkouts, Clark said she thinks it's important to listen to them.

"I think we should listen to workers, and that people are being very brave at this moment in time. As people, you have to constantly reevaluate and think about what you're doing and the effects that you're having," she told The Independent, adding, "And I think, particularly as actors, it's important not to forget you're part of bigger things when you're in this flashy world."

Watch "The Rings of Power" with an Amazon Prime Video subscription: