Some actors arrive already purely embodying their character, and for the crew of The Wheel of Time TV show, Rosamund Pike was clearly Moiraine Damodred.
The Wheel of Time TV showrunner (that’s still so weird to say!) Rafe Judkins and the writers’ room took fan questions today for those who wanted to know more about Rosamund Pike’s forthcoming depiction of Moiraine. We’ve assembled their 5 answers below!
Question #1: Character Height vs. Actor Height
I’m of the belief that my most important job is to bring the truth and heart of these characters to life. I’m much more concerned about acting than physicality. I remember being a kid and seeing Hugh Jackman would play Wolverine and was furious – he’s 6’3” and Wolverine is 5’3”!!
— Rafe Judkins (@rafejudkins) July 3, 2019
Judkins went on to add, “To me, it was against the very core of the character that he would be tall. But the truth is, when I saw X-Men — of course Hugh Jackman was Wolverine. It’s so much more important to me to get someone high caliber who embodies the character than a perfect physical match.
Plus there’s a lot we can do with wigs and dye and lighting to still achieve the “iconic looks” of the WoT characters. I think #Twitteroftime will be happy when they see it ;)
Question #2: How Wide Was the Search for Moiraine?
We swung for the fences with Moiraine. We said, for this character, any actress on earth is fair game. And we were inundated with women excited about playing her, from household names to Oscar winners. After the phone call with Rosamund, though, I simply knew it must be her.
— Rafe Judkins (@rafejudkins) July 3, 2019
Question #3: What Accent Will Moiraine and Other Cairhienians Have?
Good catch! This is something we talk about a lot. I’d like to build the accents around the lead characters from that place (Rosamund’s perfect RP for Cairhien, our Lan’s accent for the Malkieri, etc). To me it’s always about getting the best performers in the key roles
— Rafe Judkins (@rafejudkins) July 3, 2019
(Note: RP means Received Pronunciation. Essentially the accent you hear on BBC News, perhaps with more of a “posh” edge to it.)
Here’s a great example of the voice Rosamund Pike may bring to the series:
Question #4: What Confirmed Rosamund Pike in Judkins’ Estimation?
The second was after she spoke about Moiraine’s mission and what it meant to her as a character, how it affected Moiraine’s life and how she sees those who she cares about. It was 100% clear she deeply understood Moiraine and the forces that drive her
— Rafe Judkins (@rafejudkins) July 3, 2019
Question #5: What Extremes Can We Expect to See From Moiraine?
In truth? It’s her acting. And that’s not a cop out answer. So much is asked of this character throughout the series, and I needed someone who is truly one of the world’s best to pull it off. And luckily for all of us, we got her.
— Rafe Judkins (@rafejudkins) July 3, 2019
She’s going to be a wonderful Moiraine.
should Lan really have a Malkieri accent though?
@2,
Yes, because as we have learned from sci-fi and fantasy, ALL people of any given tribe, clan, or race share the same characteristics. ALL Vulcans are logical. ALL Klingons are militaristic anger-bots, ALL Dwarves are greedy, etc. Its just common sense, right?
@2 Lan was raised by Malkieri exiles, so yes.
I wonder how she feels about the fact that Moiraine disappears for a huge chunk of the series (7 books). Also, I wonder if they really like Rosamund, that they would deviate from the books and keep her around.
@6. I hope not. That would be like keeping Gandalf around after Moria.
@@.-@ I believe there were only 6 left by the time he got to safety and 1 by the time he was an adult. There would be touches of Malkieri in his accent but it would also be heavily influenced by the area he grew up in.
@5 She’s probably happy to not be locked in indefinitely in a series
You know how you keep her around? A few flashbacks while she is missing, from a New Spring. Keeps new viewers engaged, adds to the myth about Lan and Moiraine, adds to the world building (maybe flashbacks to the age of legends, to the creation of the forsaken, the breaking of the world, etc
I can see a flashback to the breaking of the world, then to Manethern, then to Mat saying something in the old tongue, everyone looking at him, end of season cliff hanger
Maybe this show will kickstart me to finish reading the series. I got up to… 10? 11? and just gave up. Whatever the last book written by Jordan was. I own them all, I just never got around to reading the last few that Sanderson finished. Not a knock on Sanderson; I love his stuff in general.
@9 You got through the hard part; collect your reward and finish the series! Those last books are absolute gems. Sanderson did an impressive job and Jordan himself actually wrote most of the final book before he passed.