From showrunner Rafe Judkins and based on one of the most popular fantasy series of all time, the Amazon Studios drama The Wheel of Time is set in a world where magic exists and it follows the story of Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai. After she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers with her loyal Warder, Lan (Daniel Henney), the two quickly find themselves on the run with Egwene (Madeleine Madden), Rand (Josha Stradowski), Perrin (Marcus Rutherford), Mat (Barney Harris) and Nynaeve (Zoë Robins), any of whom could potentially be the Dragon Reborn, who is prophesied to either save the world or destroy it.
During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, which you can both watch and read, Henney talked about how proud he is of the series, his first meeting with co-star Pike, the vision board that he created 10 years ago with the book cover, why he likes to approach characters from a physical standpoint, shooting the epic fight sequence in the first episode, and Lan’s journey this season.
Collider: First of all, congratulations on this series already getting a Season 2 before it even debuts. How does the level of excitement around the series feel? Has it sunken in or do you feel like you’re still in your own little bubble?
DANIEL HENNEY: It’s a strange feeling. It’s coming in waves. I don’t have any children, but maybe it feels like having a child and watching them grow to a certain extent, and now letting them go to their first day of school. We’re very protective of it. We feel like we’ve been in a vacuum for awhile and now it’s slowly starting to get out. It feels like everything is hitting fast forward now, which is exciting and fun, and scary at times, but we’re ready. We’ve been doing it for awhile. With COVID and everything, there have been a lot of obstacles and challenges, but we’re very proud of how it’s come together and turned out. I think we’re ready.
What was the whole initial process? Did you go through a whole audition process? Did you get to meet Rosamund Pike, at some point, especially with how important your relationship is to the show?
HENNEY: It was very unique. I didn’t go through an audition process. I had a very long chat with (show creator) Rafe [Judkins]. I’d met him previously, I think doing some sort of test reading years ago, for another show. We had crossed paths and he remembered me. I think he had me in mind for Lan. It was just a process of a few conversations with him, and then all of a sudden, I was on FaceTime with Rosamund. She’s producing the show as well, so it was important for her to talk to me and to meet me because we have such a dynamic relationship in the show. That turned into a three-hour conversation about life and all sorts of existential things and religion and career and family. It was really just to get to know each other, and we hit it off, a hundred percent. And then, a few days later, it was mine. I was standing by this beautiful lake in Michigan, and I got the word and I did a little dance by the lake. I screamed because I wanted it so badly, for so many reasons. That was it. A few weeks later, my bags were packed and I was headed to the Czech Republic.
What was the top reason for you? Was it something about the character? Was it something about the genre? What were you most drawn to?
HENNEY: First of all, growing up in the States in a very small town, being Asian-American, I grew up watching fantasy shows with certain people cast in certain roles. I just never thought that, as I got older and got into acting, I’d have the chance to play something like Lan, to play a king, or an uncrowned king, to speak in an English accent, to protect someone as amazing as Rosamund, and to have this incredible role of strength and honor and loyalty, with an amazing backstory. I didn’t know that it was ever gonna be possible for me to be in a role like this, so when it came true, it was very surreal. A funny story is that I do this vision boarding thing for my career, and I’d saved the cover to The Eye of the World on my phone in 2011. I didn’t know much about The Wheel of Time, but I just loved the look of the cover and the characters, and I thought that was something that I would love to do one day. And here I am 10 years later, playing Lan.
So, you willed it into existence before you even knew that you were willing it into existence.
HENNEY: It’s so crazy. It’s true.
With a character like this, because he is a bit mysterious in the beginning and he’s not a man of many words, we only get things out of him when he has to divulge them. What was your way into him? Did you read the books? Did you do some other type of research? How did you key into who he is?
HENNEY: The wonderful thing about The Wheel of Time is that there’s so much out there. There’s so much to dig into. I did immediately jump into the books, and I read up to The Dragon Reborn, and then went back to New Spring because I knew that was really important for the relationship between Lan and Moiraine, and how they began. But what really helps me, and it’s how I work as an actor, going from the outside in, was that as soon as I got to Prague, I started rehearsing stunts for what is now the Winter Night action sequence. It took me a month to get into that, and that was such a wonderful way in to Lan, with how he moves and just how skilled he is with that sword. It really helped inform me. When I played Agent Zero in X-Men, the first thing I did was get his boots and walk around this small town in Queenstown, New Zealand. I like to work from a physical standpoint. Having that time with the stunt guys, choreographing that amazing scene, was everything to me. From then on, I felt very comfortable.
What was it like to shoot that whole fight sequence? It starts with celebration and dance, and then all of these horrible creatures show up and grotesque murder happens. What was most important to get right with that?
HENNEY: That was about repetition. I was lucky to have at least a month with the stunt team, prior to that. The stuntmen and women come up with a breakdown of what it’s gonna be, and they shoot a full video on their iPhones, and they cut it and put music to it, when they showed me that first cut, for the first time in my career, I thought, “I may not be able to do this.” It was 150 beats. It was incredibly long, intricate, and complex. There was so much to it. It was just repetition, over and over and over, and getting it right. And then, it was applying that, once we got on the amazing Two Rivers set. We have such an amazing art department who created this world for us to work within. Everything you see in the Winter Night sequence is real, for the most part. We’re reacting to everything, from the drops of snow to the dust to everything. The scene where I run and cover Rosamund, they shot five massive dust cans and I had to run through the dust and cover her. That was all practical. It just felt very real, to answer your question. The acting came second.
What would you say to tease Lan’s journey this season? How much will he be affected and changed by what happens?
HENNEY: All I can say, from an actor’s perspective, is that it’s been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life. Playing someone that is that silent, quiet, stoic and strong, he’s a man of few words, but the writers have really done a wonderful job at creating these emotional scenes for him that the fans can look forward to. You really get to see a side of Lan that, for me, as an actor, was scary to try because I know how beloved he is. When I read the scripts for the first time, especially Episodes 5 and 6, I just thought, “How am I gonna do this?” Now, in hindsight, I think we did a pretty good job. It’s been a very, very diverse journey with him, emotionally, and I can’t wait for everyone to watch it.
The Wheel of Time is available to stream at Prime Video.