Prime Video's The Wheel of Time starts by introducing five young villagers. One of them is unknowingly the reincarnation of a terrifying historical figure known as the Dragon. While this threat is what brings the characters to the Aes Sedai Moiraine, the identity of the Dragon Reborn is kept hidden from the audience. The other four characters have destinies of their own to claim. The blacksmith Perrin Aybara, played by Marcus Rutherford, shows an unexpected affinity for wolves in the first few episodes. Sheepherder Rand al'Thor, played by Josha Stradowski, is devoted to Egwene but has to rethink the future he envisioned with her due to her own immense and blossoming power.
Rutherford and Stradowski talked about Perrin and Rand's journey in an exclusive interview with CBR. The duo described what it was like to have canine co-stars and shared how their The Wheel of Time characters portrayed a different kind of romance on-screen.
CBR: Marcus, you had some awesome scenes with wolves. How much of that were real animal actors, and what was that like?
Marcus Rutherford: For this show, we got these real Czech wolfdogs -- kind of a hybrid of a half-dog half-wolf. So it's really fortunate for me. Even though there are amazing visual effects and CGI on the show, when any of those scenes come about, I'm actually acting with these really cool dogs. I've been doing a lot more in Season 2. But they're amazing. They're really cool, and they hit their marks and do their scenes really well.
And they're certainly beautiful, too. They look just like wolves. So was it really licking your leg?
Rutherford: Yeah, man. They paint paté or something on my leg. I think that was probably one of the cleanest shots. It did it in like one take. It was amazing.
Josha, everybody has been keeping a lot of secrets. How does knowing Rand's future impact the way that you approach your role, and as a member of what is basically an ensemble cast right now?
Josha Stradowski: Yeah, and it's also an ensemble piece. It's not a one-on-one adaption of the books. We definitely take the fundamentals of the books that we use in the show, but it's really an ensemble piece.
You're both in romantic relationships of a very different kind. So Rand and Egwene have kind of a will-they-won't-they thing going on right now. In your opinion, how committed is Rand to Egwene?
Stradowski: How committed? So committed. I don't think he can be more committed. I think she is his dream life, and that's why it's so heartbreaking that he knows that she needs to do something else in her life. He knows that's not him. He's willing to, out of love for her, he is willing to sacrifice his dream. I think that's really something most people I know could learn something of. It's not dependency and it's not jealousy and not insecurity. I think that's a really mature relationship, and it symbolizes for me all the relationships in the Two Rivers.
Do you think that Rand would feel a bit betrayed by Egwene that she's not as committed as he is?
Stradowski: I think she is still committed. But in order to become the woman she wants to be, that means she can't be with him. She has to become a Wisdom, and that means that she can't be with Rand. Yeah, she also respects -- Egwene just is very mature as well. It's also that self-love that I think makes Rand love her even more.
That's very sweet. And Marcus, Perrin is married, which readers of the books were not expecting.
Rutherford: Yeah, yeah.
Do you feel like that sets him apart from the other men in the cast or most anyone in the cast?
Rutherford: I think it's kind of a relationship at the start that you see is quite fundamental to his journey as we go through the season. I think it's something that Rafe [Judkins, showrunner] realized. Perrin has particular quiet qualities and he has a particular demeanor. I think when you translate that onto the screen, sometimes you might need additional things that let the audience understand him. I think that the relationship he has with his wife, he carries with him throughout Season 1. It's beautiful, but also shapes the way that he views the world as he leaves the Two Rivers.
Is he carrying some guilt?
Rutherford: Yeah, man, yeah, I think he has a relationship with violence that -- obviously, it's ignited there. I think the more he ventures into this world, he realizes he can't really escape violence, and it's something that's continually surrounding him. He has to choose: does he embrace this innate animalistic side? Or is there a way to be civilized as he ventures into the world? I think that's something that he has to figure out in Season 1.
The Wheel of Time premieres its debut season on Prime Video on Nov. 19.