The Dragon Reborn, aka Rand al’Thor has gone through a lot in Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time series. And with the season three premiere just around the corner, we’ll get to see how much the character has changed since we first met Josha Stradowski’s portrayal of him as a young man in the Two Rivers.
One of the big changes in young Rand’s life is that he’s now able to channel—something we’ve seen him do sporadically in previous seasons, and something we’ll likely see him do more of in the upcoming episodes.
Reactor had the chance to interview Stradowski in the lead up to the season three premiere. During our discussion, he shared how he worked to portray Rand’s connection to the One Power.
“I wanted the channeling for Rand to be more aligned, and also that it would be more of a flow, more natural, because he is the most powerful channeler,” he told Reactor. “He just needs to get out of his own way and let the power flow through him, so that the force is not outside of him, but he is the force.”
That understanding changed the way Stradowski approached channeling this season. He also collaborated with the special effects department on what his weaving would look like. Part of that work involved expanding certain scenes. “There’s a moment where Rand does channel, and in the script, it was simply, ‘He channels, and something happens,’ and it’s very quick. I wanted to hold on to the Power, so it has—not only the audience but also the people around Rand—understanding what that channeling actually means. We talk a lot about it, but we don’t really feel it, and we don’t really see it in Rand’s eyes, because it always happens in an accident.”
Rand’s approach to channeling isn’t the only thing different for the Dragon Reborn. His relationship with Moiraine, played by Rosamund Pike, has also changed.
“I think Rand still needs Moiraine as a guide, absolutely,” said Stradowski. “But I think for Rand, it’s more that he wants to be seen by and listened to as well. There are lots of people who walk into the room and tell Rand what to do, or try and to push him into something… no one really asks him, ‘What do you think is a good idea where we should go?’”
Pike, who Reactor also interviewed, shared her own thoughts on Moiraine’s relationship with Rand. “When your mentee turns around and says, ‘I don’t need you anymore,’ it’s on one level, hurtful, but it’s also the sign that they’re showing the mettle they need to become the person they’re meant to become,” she said. “So Moiraine is frustrated because while Rand is obstructing what she knows needs to be done, he’s showing that he’s thinking for himself. He’s thinking as the Dragon Reborn, finally. But there’s a difference in opinion on how to strategize the next steps.”
You can see what next steps Rand decides to take when the first three episodes of season three’s The Wheel of Time premieres on Prime Video on March 13, 2025. Subsequent episodes will premiere weekly, with the finale on April 17, 2025.
