Editor's note: The below interview contains spoilers for Episode 7 of The Wheel of Time, "The Dark Along the Ways."
The Wheel of Time, which finally premiered on Prime Video in November, is adapted from the long-enduring fantasy novels by the late author Robert Jordan. The series takes place in a world where magic is ever-present, though it is typically wielded by an organization consisting of women known as the Aes Sedai. One among their ranks, Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), has been on a secret quest of her own for many years for someone called the Dragon Reborn, an overwhelmingly powerful individual who is prophesized to either save the world or lead it into destruction. Accompanied by her loyal Warder Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney), Moiraine travels to the region known as the Two Rivers, where it's possible that the reincarnation of the Dragon might exist from within a small group — sheepherder Rand al'Thor (Josha Stradowski), blacksmith Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford), innkeepers' daughter Egwene al'Vere (Madeleine Madden), gambler and thief Mat Cauthon (Barney Harris), and town Wisdom Nynaeve al'Meara (Zoë Robins). After the Two Rivers are attacked by a band of vicious creatures called Trollocs, the group finds themselves on the run with one destination in mind — the city of Tar Valon, where the White Tower and the rest of the Aes Sedai might be able to help.
Ahead of this week's episode, Collider had the chance to chat with Stradowski about some of his character's most pivotal moments in "The Dark Along the Ways," including what it was like to film those scenes in the Ways, that emotional moment between the Two Rivers group at Fal Dara, and Rand's biggest revelations when it comes to not only his power but also where he really comes from. Stradowski also discussed the heartwrenching nature of that Rand/Egwene conversation, when that flashback scene between Rand and his father was filmed, and what Season 2 sets up in terms of Rand's identity shift.
Collider: I feel like it's accurate to say that this week's episode is a lot, but I would love to start at the beginning and talk about the scene with the group going through the Ways. How much of that was practical in terms of effects, and how interactive it was for the cast to work with? Because it looks really cool on-screen.
JOSHA STRADOWSKI: Yeah. That was in a very, very dark, big studio and it's very nice to see that on-screen it looked so good. On the day it looked good as well, but for us, it was a lot of walking back and forth. It's always a surprise how it turns out and I think especially with Machin Shin, I thought was really scary and looked really realistic as well.
Everybody, save for Mat, makes it to Fal Dara where there's a really emotional scene that plays out in the group that almost feels like a two-parter. Moiraine and Lan are there, for the beginning of the conversation and talking about going to the Eye, but then it's the Two Rivers group having it out. What was that like to film with everyone together? Because it feels like it's a clash of beliefs, but then also that they're starting to air some things that maybe they've been holding inside for a while.
STRADOWSKI: Yes, and I think it has to do because of everything they have gone through. This is actually the first time they can sit down together and actually talk about it, talk about stuff without Moiraine and Lan. They went through so many traumas, so it's a heated moment and it's also... There's so much more going on in that scene that they're talking about, and I think the next day, being the mature Two Rivers characters that they are, they say that it was actually about something else.
Rand is also... because he channeled for the first time in the Ways, I think that is a key moment for him. I think it's actually more about that than actually about if Perrin has something with Egwene. Because she knows that's not — that's not really the case, that they're friends. It's a big moment, especially for Rand, because he has channeled, but now [Moiraine] is saying that whoever goes to the Eye of the World who's not the Dragon Reborn would die there. That means that now, he really has to face the truth because, otherwise, all of his friends would die.
Rand and Egwene have their own separate conversation later, which then leads into what turns out to be their last night together. Do you think, at this point, Rand's already made up his mind that he's going to The Eye alone? I feel like it makes that whole conversation between them where they talk about him being her Warder that much more emotional in hindsight.
STRADOWSKI: Yes. I think that whole dialogue is about the conversation he wishes he could have, and he knows that that is not going to happen. He knows that this is their goodbye. It's a heartbreaking goodbye scene, really.
With only one of them knowing it at the time.
STRADOWSKI: Yeah. He can't say, or he can't tell her the truth. He has to hide the truth for her, because he knows her. He knows that she probably wants to come with him, and so again, he has to protect his friends and that's why he has to go alone.
Rand has a pretty big revelation this week in terms of his identity, as you've already spoken to a bit. The identity of the Dragon Reborn has been a mystery throughout the series. Obviously, readers of the books know that it's a little more upfront from the beginning, so it's interesting to see it play out at this point in the show. What makes this time different for Rand when it comes to his ability to finally accept it?
STRADOWSKI: Well, it's not an easy thing to accept. I mean, who would dare to face such a truth? I think it needs all those other moments to finally come to that conclusion in Episode 7. Rand has always been someone that was kind of behaving as a leader, not someone that follows blindly. He was questioning Moiraine from the very start, and he was seeing what was going on. Also with Mat, trying to take care of him and actively trying to reunite with his friends. That's just his behavior and that's that kind of leader Dragon behavior that I saw in those first episodes.
Then, of course, you have the hints, the little ones. Recognizing Dragonmount or being recognized as an Aielman. Then there's a bigger one, and that's about a huge part of his identity, and that's the fever dream of Tam. That his dad might not be his real dad. And Min can only confirm that.
I'm curious too about that fever dream scene, because it happens earlier on in the book and there it's something that we see Rand wrestling with through his journey. When did you have a chance to film that? Was that something that got filmed early and then was input later?
STRADOWSKI: That was the start of Season 1. We shot that at the very start of Season 1 and yes, that became a flashback, actually. Because the show... that is how the show is different from the books, as you know. In the books, you know that Rand is the Dragon Reborn and you know more than him as a reader. In the show, it really could be one of those five, and that's why I think it became a flashback, because we had to maintain the mystery.
Rand's conversation with Min brings with it the reveal that the super badass pregnant woman that we see at the beginning of the episode is in fact, his mom. Given that the show has been renewed for Season 2, will Rand be able to explore more of his true background and where he really comes from?
STRADOWSKI: Yeah. That moment in Episode 7 where he realizes that he's the Dragon Reborn, I think Season 2 is really about [him] becoming the Dragon Reborn and all the difficulty that comes with that. He is now cut off from his roots, and it really just means the start of a huge identity shift for him in Season 2. (laughs) I think that's all I can say.
Episodes 1 through 7 of The Wheel of Time are available to stream now on Prime Video, with new episodes releasing weekly every Friday.