Many of the actors starring in Amazon Prime Video's The Wheel of Time are newcomers, but Rosamund Pike already has a number of celebrated roles under her belt. Showrunner Rafe Judkins not only appreciates her presence on the screen, but believes she was the only possible choice for Moiraine Damodred.
In an interview for Comic-Con@Home, Judkins talked about how important the casting of Moiraine was, and his call with Pike that convinced him that she was right for the part. "When you look at a character like Moiraine, she’s so iconic not just in the Wheel of Time books but in the whole world of fantasy and genre," he said. "You need someone who just feels that part and believes it 100 percent."
Moiraine is a powerful Aes Sedai whose actions bring the other characters together and kick off the events of the series. Since she's the only one early in the story to be seen using supernatural abilities, Judkins saw her as the key to the audience's immersion in the show's world: "That’s the thing that was most important to me, that these books and fantasy shows in general have the potential to really transport you to another world if the people who are in that world believe in everything that they’re doing and the things that they’re saying and the things that they’re seeing."
He also described first speaking to Pike about Moiraine, saying, "When I talked to her, I knew that she was the only option for this character because she understood Moiraine in her bones in a fundamental way—and that’s the foundation of this whole show and this whole world working is that you believe the characters that are there and Rosamund is the best foundation that the show could ever hope for."
Judkins said that the initial conversation took place over the phone while he was in Bali. "It’s on a really weak connection and a horrific thunderstorm, and I was thinking 'this is going to be a disaster, I’m going to keep dropping in and out, there’s no way this is going to work.' And then, her voice came through the phone crystal clear and I remember the first thing she said to me: 'Rafe, I know this woman. I can be this woman.' I will never forget that because those were the first words that came out of her mouth and you could tell she was just so passionate about this character and this story; she didn’t even really want to talk about anything else, it was just Moiraine the only thing she wanted to talk about. I’ll never forget that call."
Executive produced and written by Judkins, The Wheel of Time stars Pike as Moiraine Damodred and Daniel Henney as her Warder, Lan. They'll be accompanied on their journey by five young villagers played by Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, Zoë Robins, Barney Harris, and Madeleine Madden.
Source: Comic-Con@Home