Exclusive Interview: Marcus Rutherford, Ceara Coveney, and Dónal Finn Talk The Wheel of Time Season 2

Marcus Rutherford, Ceara Coveney, and Dónal Finn are three of the stars of Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time.

Now in its second season, The Wheel of Time is one of the most popular and enduring fantasy series of all time, with more than 90 million books sold. Set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it, the story follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Marcus, Ceara, and Dónal about Season 2!

Please Note: This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike. We stand in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, and will not be conducting further interviews until a fair deal is reached.

PC: Marcus, in Season 1 your character is struggling with his identity and destiny, but as we’ve headed into Season 2 we see him embrace who he is, and you brought so much depth to that. As you’ve headed into Season 2, how have you created the space for yourself to dive into the evolution, given that your character’s growth has been more subtle than any of the other characters on the show?
Marcus: It’s really nice. He’s developing perhaps at a slower rate because he was stuck in this intense amount of grief and guilt in Season 1. In Season 2, it’s there, but he’s forced to be in different scenarios and situations where there’s camaraderie and fun but also danger and a slight level of leadership as well. We’re starting to see different layers of his character, which is quite cool. He starts to meet some new and really interesting characters in Season 2, and that exposes things about himself that we saw glimpses of in Season 1.

PC: Ceara, you’re joining the cast as a fan-favorite character. Did that bring any added pressure to this project? What’s something you wanted to make sure was translated from page to screen? What’s something new you brought to her?
Ceara: I definitely felt this responsibility when I found out who I’d actually been cast as. It was Elayne, and she was loved by so many of the fans. But I had to trust in my own instincts because when we were auditioning I didn’t know who the character was or what I was auditioning for. It was really gut instinct, and I had to trust in that and that I knew this character.

Elayne can sometimes come across as quite bratty and entitled, and I definitely wanted that to be in there. But I don’t think it’s necessarily something that Elayne knows about herself. It’s something that’s been a byproduct of her upbringing, and having her interact in these new environments I wanted to sprinkle that in but also make sure she’s likable as well. Because I truly believe that she is. She’s got a good heart. She’s a great person because she really intends to learn about people and she wants to be the best ruler that she can be.

PC: Dónal, one of the benefits of television as a medium is the opportunity to develop these characters in new ways. Your character in particular is the biggest deviation from the novels. As an actor, what challenges and creative freedoms does that provide you? What can you tell us about your interpretation of this character and where we find him in Season 2?
Dónal: We’re really lucky that this is a project where we can investigate and dive into these scripts. Once we’ve done that, there’s this massive amount of source material that allows us to add all the light and shade that those who are familiar with the books know so well. It enforces all of our performances in ways that are not verbal—ways that are unconscious and that manifest in how we interact with the space, objects, the possessions that we carry, and our relationships with other characters. I feel like I’ve been in the fans’ position where I’ve been a fan of something that’s been adapted from a great book to the screen. You can recognize there’s a reward for the viewers, and seeing the source material reflected in a way that surprises you but also acknowledges that there’s something it’s been drawn from enforces the performances. That’s how I approached it.

Make sure to follow Marcus (Twitter/Instagram), Ceara (Twitter/Instagram), and Dónal (Instagram). Watch Season 2 of The Wheel of Time on Prime Video today.