Morfydd Clark is the rising star of Lord of the Rings prequel (2024)

You may not have heard of her yet but Morfydd Clark looks set to soon become a household name - although she has admitted the jury is still out on whether this will be for good or bad reasons.

The actress, 33, from Penarth, appeared in psychological horror Saint Maud and as Sister Clara in His Dark Materials but fantasy lovers are on the edge of their seats waiting to see her latest performance in the$1billion Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Clark plays JRR Tolkien's top elf in the Amazon prequel series, Galadriel, who was played by Cate Blanchett in the original Peter Jackson trilogy.

When first cast in the part, Clark - who grew up helping lambs give birth in Wales - admitted she fainted, and has confessed the role will either make her 'famous or infamous'.

Yet the actress may be set for stardom thanks to her role but she comes from a humble background.

She initially wanted to become a midwife but her ADHD left her struggling in the classroom and getting herself in trouble, and she dropped out of school at just age 16.

While she finds it difficult talking about her diagnosis, which occurred when she seven, she said that ADHD played a huge part in how her life turned out to be, and that she has embraced it.

Clark worked on her uncle's farm as a teenager, helping lambs give birth, while also trying out for the British and Welsh national youth theatre.

Acting was the one time the youngster didn't have to worry about her ADHD and it became a haven for the star.

Although she grew up in Wales, she only moved there when she was two and was actually born in Sweden to a Welsh mother and Scottish father.

However, the only Swedish she knows is 'there is no toilet paper', while her time learning Welsh has allowed her to wow an audience at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, as she recited the Welsh alphabet.

Being admitted to theNational Youth Theatre, aged 16, was a revelation for Clark, who went on to join theDrama Centre London.

She explained that her Welsh education, where drama clubs are a part of school life, gave her a head-start in her acting studies.

She began her career in the early 2010s with small roles in Madame Bovary (2014) and The Falling (2014) before playing Sister Clara in the BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy in 2019.

That same year, she starred in the psychological horror Saint Maud, where she played the titular character, her performance earning her a nomination for a Rising Star Bafta.

Her mainstream break came when she was cast inThe Personal History of David Copperfield, where she played the love interest and which was also released in 2019.

Director Armando Iannucci said he was so taken with Clark, he offered her the part on the spot after the pair had lunch, and commanded her on her comic timing.

Starring in the Lord of The Rings prequel was a dream come true for Clark, who has admitted she is a 'really nerdy fan of the films' and has a 'huge amount of respect' for them.

'There is a strange element to it all,' she told The Telegraph. 'You're either going to be famous or infamous because The Lord of the Rings is so loved and known about.'

When she found out about the role Clark was so surprised that she fainted.

'I found out and then I went to a screening and Q&A for David Copperfield,' Clark told Variety. 'I suddenly realised what a big deal it was for me, and I passed out during the Q&A. I was caught by a lovely security guard.'

The actress admitted that scoring the role of elfin princess Galadriel in the new Lord of Ring instalment has exceeded the reasonable expectations that her parents had of her acting career.

She explained that for her parents, her playing locally in Cardiff would already have been a career high, let alone a blockbuster Amazon Prime project.

Although she hasn't revealed too much about the new fantasy, it's likely Clark will have a high-action role.

In one of the trailers she was pictured in full armour and she has described filming as involving 'lots of physical energy'.

The 33-year-old's net worth is estimated to be around £2miilion and she lives in Elephant and Castle with her younger sister and her white poodle/bichon dog.

However, although stardom may be just around the corner, she still makes time for her friends in Cardiff who she met at nursery.

Clark is not phased by fame and said she wants to be comfortable enough to be happy.

She said she is happy that the new Amazon series is PG-13, as it means it will make for a family-friendly watch, much like the Lord of the Rings' films she grew up on.

While she awaits to see whether Lord of the Ring: The Rings of Power will be loved or hated by the fans, Clark revealed she has just been cast to play in Riz Ahmed's adaptation of Hamlet, hinting that a bright future might be ahead of her.