Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star Sophia Nomvete has opened up about the groundbreaking way the show accommodated her being a new mother.
The actress, who plays Princess Disa on the new Amazon Prime series, originally auditioned for the part while pregnant, and began filming ten weeks after giving birth.
As such, the show helped to adapt her costume so that she could be with her baby on set, the star revealing to Digital Spy and other media at the recent San Diego Comic-Con that the whole process was "mind-blowing".
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"It was hugely emotional," she recalled. "And I felt like I was given so much space and accessibility to be the parent that I wanted to be.
"And I was also able to educate you know, the world needs educating in many ways. So I was able to say, 'Hey, is it okay if we do this and I kind of need this to happen'."
Recalling her work with the costume designer, the star called it "a process from being two days away from giving birth right through to being ten weeks old and landing on the set".
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Nomvete continued: "So that came with a whole host of necessities you know, as a woman and as a mother when I was breastfeeding and I just remember [costume designer] Kate Hawley... saying, 'What do you think? Do we need to make a flap in your costume? Are you going to keep feeding', and I was like, 'Yeah', and it was interesting because I even questioned whether I should?
"And then suddenly someone opened the doors and said if you want to, 'Yes, you should and this is what we're going to do to make it happen'. That is the direction that the industry needs to go.
"I was able to create this iconic moment because I was supported by the industry recognising and being supportive of everything that I needed. So yes, the stitching is there, I was able to kind of open everything up."
The star also praised her husband, who she says "holds up the crown of being in my shadows", explaining that he was "kind of passing the baby for a feed in between takes in scenes on set and then, you know, being there for everything that I needed".
"But it's so important because we can do it too and there has to be a place for us. And thank goodness that this was an opportunity where they were able to help me and support often," she added.
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Nomvete went on to say that the groundbreaking change has to be "celebrated", adding: "This is to be acknowledged so that everybody knows that, but this is how it should be, we have to normalise it in order for it to progress.
"I think it's definitely worth finding moments where we can celebrate and advocate and normalise everything so that suddenly it just becomes like, 'What size shoes do you need? What kind of water, sparkling or still, in your trailer?' You know, 'Do you need a breast pump?'"
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
Gabriella Geisinger is a freelance film critic and journalist, with a focus on J-drama & film, and the Japanese production industry. She was previously Locations Editor at Screen International and Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy. Her writing can also befound in Curzon, 1883, and more. A born and raised New Yorker, she loves coffee and the colour black, obviously.
