The third season of The Wheel of Time introduces us to new characters, though some of them are very familiar to fans of Robert Jordan’s books. One of those characters is Elaida do Avriny a’Roihan, the Aes Sedai who comes to the White Tower and faces off against the Amyrlin Seat, Siuan Sanche.
In the Prime Video series, Elaida is played by Shohreh Aghdashloo, who fans of The Expanse will recognize as the formidable Chrisjen Avasarala. Reactor talked with Aghdashloo about her experience playing another imposing character on The Wheel of Time, including how The Expanse helped her get the part, and what it was like to act against Sophie Okonodo’s Siuan, particularly that one scene in season three’s fifth episode, “Tel’aran’rhiod,” where they have quite an exchange in Siuan’s private chambers.
Read on for that discussion!
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
I would love to hear how you heard about this role and what really attracted you to playing Elaida.
It started with the fans of The Expanse. As soon as I was done with The Expanse they said, “Oh, let’s find her another role in another TV show, so we could see her at work.” This was amazing—I was so happy, and could have not believed that I had such a big and vast family of sci-fi and fantasy fans. And then obviously they found The Wheel of Time for me, and they wanted me to play Cadsuane Sedai. I asked them why. They said, “Because she’s as powerful as your character in The Expanse, Avasarala.” [Editor’s note: Cadsuane Sedai is the oldest living Aes Sedai and is considered a near-mythical figure amongst the sisters. She has kept away from the White Tower and its business for decades—perhaps centuries—but the Dragon Reborn’s increasing presence on the world stage eventually draws her in… .]
And then when Elaida was offered to me, all I was told is that she is not an easy women to bear with. She’s stubborn, and she will not stop until she does what she thinks is right. I just like powerful women. My major is political science, international relations, and I know that if female politicians are not powerful enough, or are not determined to leave a legacy, then they’re not useful, like what Margaret Thatcher did—I know that many people hate her, but many people love her at the same time—or Indira Gandhi. That’s why I just love the idea of portraying this multi-layered character.
Was there any anything else you did to prepare for the role or to get into the headspace of Elaida?
I concentrated on the details that the scriptwriters and, of course, the novels give you. In this diverse, global show, what’s amazing is the fact that the show pays a lot of attention to the antagonists. They’re not just shallow characters that we categorize as “antagonists” and put in a box. The antagonists are given the same time as the heroes to prove themselves, and for the viewers to get to know them fully, inside out. Every time people ask me, “What is the difference between a bad job and good job?” I say details, details, details. And with this one, we actors on The Wheel of Time, we’re really lucky because they’ve given us all the details about our characters.
There’s one particular scene in the fifth episode where Elaida talks with Siuan in the White Tower. And I loved your performance there, because you straight-out call Siuan river trash but you’re saying it with a smile. I would love to hear your experience of of filming that scene with Sophie Okonodo.
It was amazing. Sophie is an amazing actress, so the two of us, it reminded me very much of how two heroes confront one another, and start with looking into each other’s eyes: “Let’s see who’s more powerful here.” But at the same time, they’re both afraid of what is just about to happen. I felt myself having this fear combined with the power of each woman, and it brought Elaida to think, “I am not going to stop until I win this war with you. You betrayed me once. I’m not going to allow you to do it again.” I couldn’t see myself, but I could see Sophie’s eyes having the same fear, same pride, same sense of revenge. It was just incredible.
I think, apart from the dialog that we run in that scene, it’s our inner thoughts that are talking to one another in between the lines, because even when we are quiet, you could see what is happening between these two just by looking at the way they look at each other—their hand gestures, their behavior. For example, my character, she’s afraid, but at the same time she’s just proud of what she is doing, because she truly believes that she’s doing the right thing. For her, the ends always justify the means, which does not sound right in real life, but this is who she is.
New episodes of The Wheel of Time premiere on Prime Video on Thursdays.
Hey Vanessa thanks for your work, just a brief note that AES Sedai in the present age generally live 200-250 years. So Cadsuane Sedai wouldn’t be away for centuries. Pre-breaking depending on their power level they would live longer.