Season three of The Wheel of Time keeps on turning, and we’re seeing the group from the Two Rivers heading off on separate paths. Egwene, played by Madeleine Madden, is on her own journey, and as we’ve seen in the first five episodes, that journey not only involves exploring her new powers but is also moving away from Rand (Josha Stradowski).
Warning: The article below includes mild spoilers about capabilities Egwene discovers in the first five episodes of this season of The Wheel of Time.
Reactor had the chance to talk with Madden about Egwene’s foray into her new power—dreamwalking—aided by the Aiel’s Wise Ones. Read on for that discussion, as well as what it was like for her to portray the fraying relationship between Egwene and Rand, which comes to a breaking point at the end of the season’s fifth episode.
The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
We see that Egwene is coming into her power, specifically dreamwalking with the Aiel. Could you talk about what it was like exploring and portraying that for your character?
It always blows my mind how our writers and directors are able to translate these massive, massive, magical moments and adapt it to the screen. It’s always mind-boggling, and I’m so glad that’s not my job. But it’s also really exciting to step into a new world, and there’s new laws and new magic. And the dreamwalking is something that obviously expands Egwene’s power and skill set, but also is a real gateway for her to start on her path of healing and self-recovery after being captured as damane and being enslaved. And the women that she meets, the Wise Ones, whilst she’s on this path, really support her through that and also help her understand how powerful she is, and show her that what is out there for her in the world is unlimited.
When I talked with [showrunner Rafe Judkins], he mentioned that one of the relationships he was really excited to explore, that isn’t explored as much in the books, is that relationship between Rand and Egwene. What was it like exploring that deeper relationship with Rand, given you didn’t have source material to work off of?
I think that having Rand and Egwene in a romantic relationship, there’s a nice anchorage to each other. I think their love for each other will always be there. At times, they may not like each other, but I think they certainly love each other. It’s really interesting at the start of the season, where we find them slipping back into the familiarity and comfort of their relationship in season one. It’s very endearing and sweet, but ultimately, they’re very different people and they’ve lived different lives since they were together last.
It’s always wonderful doing those scenes with Josha [Stradowski, who plays Rand]. I feel like we’ve known each other now for so long and have worked so closely together that, I think we really draw out a lot from each other. We have a beautiful scene in episode six. I believe that Marta [Cunningham], one of our directors, directed, and it was like doing a play the way we shot it. She just let the cameras roll and was like, “Just go for it. Just do what you want. The lines are there, yes, but every feeling that you have, lean into it.” That was super cathartic and exhausting, but also a wonderful way to have some closure on this relationship.
And then for my last question, what was the one thing you loved doing in season three that was new for you and your character?
The dreamwalking. It was just so much fun. And I just loved working with Nukâka [Coster-Waldau] and Salóme [Gunnarsdóttir], who play the Wise Ones. They’re such a breath of fresh air, and it’s always really exciting getting new cast in. That was something that I had such a wonderful time working on.
New episodes of The Wheel of Time premiere on Prime Video on Thursdays.
