The Wheel of Time Season 3 finale, “He Who Comes With the Dawn,” brought about a handful of world-shattering narrative developments, including the appearance of one particular creature. Robert Strange, whose involvement in episode eight remained under wraps (and Strange himself had to keep it secret), portrayed an Eelfinn, and he played a pivotal role in Mat Cauthon’s (Dónal Finn) story.
Recently, I had the privilege of chatting with Robert about bringing the Eelfinn to life, from incorporating fox-like movement to sitting in the makeup chair for seven hours.
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This interview is condensed for length and clarity.
Robert Strange on Playing an Eelfinn
Melody McCune: You play an Eelfinn. Were you familiar with the series or the source material before joining the show?
Robert Strange: I watched whatever was out at the time of my casting, which was [Season] 1 or 2. Hadn’t read the books. But when I got the role, I started reading the books. Sadly, I didn’t have nearly enough time to read 14 books, but I read all the parts about the Eelfinn as best I could. It’s wonderful to have that resource. The interesting thing about the Eelfinn is that Robert Jordan tells you a lot about them, but then also not much about them at all. I had some gaps to fill, but that was part of the challenge, and hopefully we did it justice.
Filming With Dónal
MM: What was it like getting to film those sequences and play off Dónal Finn?
RS: Dónal was really brilliant. The energy, that playfulness that Mat has in the show, is exactly what Dónal is like. He brings a lot of ideas, a lot of energy, and he was particularly looking forward to this sequence because you read it on paper and you’re like, “How on Earth?”
It was a lot of fun. He did this wonderful thing where he didn’t actually look at me in the full makeup until we did the first take. So, his reactions are quite genuine.
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I also kept some things up my sleeve — the noises I made, the shrieking fox noises. I live in London, so I hear foxes in the street all the time. Playing a fox creature, I was just like, “We have to get this in.” So, I pitched it to Ciarán [Donnelly], the director. And I kept that secret from Dónal as well.
Adopting the Right Physicality
MM: How did you establish your physicality? Did you study the movement of foxes?
RS: I did a little. I knew I would be on two legs – it actually [became clear] when I saw the costume. The shoes, in particular, defined the physicality of the character somewhat. But that aside, I wanted to have the essence of foxes. They have quite an elegance to them, and they move silently. They have this poise, but they have this very quick, playful feel to them as well.
So, I wanted to bring that in just for the close-ups. The way the Eelfinn interacts with Mat has a lot to do with scents as well. We had this whole concept that the Eelfinn are getting more out of Mat than we can see, than we can understand, on another level, feeding off Mat’s emotions. I want to tie that in with how foxes smell.
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As I said, the shoes, which I was completely obsessed with, in the broader sense, defined the movement somewhat. I had to be extremely upright; I was looming over Mat more than I already was. I wanted to have a power to them. Anything with heels like that has a lot of power that comes with it. I wanted that to immediately set the status.
Everything Is There
MM: How much of what we see is practical? Is it all makeup, or are there any visual effects in play?
RS: What’s most remarkable about this scene is that everything you see is there. I want to give credit to the amazing visual effects people who added the effects over top of it, like the sand, the voice and the echoes, and also the prismatic effects to show we’re in another dimension. But everything you see in terms of the makeup and the costume was 100 percent real. It was amazing. I’m biased because I’ve made a whole career out of practical roles and practical effects, but it just gives this feel that you don’t have otherwise.
The cost of that is that we had a long day. We started at 2 am and finished at 10 pm. It was a good seven-hour makeup [process] because the fur was sprayed directly onto my skin. Then, there were wigs, teeth and lenses. The costume was very intricate as well, so it was a long process. But totally worth it.
RELATED: Read our The Wheel of Time recaps
The Challenges
MM: Last question. What were the challenges of playing this non-human character and ensuring your emotions translate onscreen?
RS: It was a big challenge. Most of the characters I play are not real things in some way or another. I’m used to it in a sense. This one felt particularly challenging in an exciting way because they’re not part of the world we’re in. Another dimension, again. We wanted to have a sense that they belonged in The Wheel of Time world and were familiar in some ways. Mat has that amazing line about the smell of the fox den being familiar, so maybe they make themselves look, smell or sound familiar to whoever is appearing before them.
At the same time, they are not of this dimension. I wanted to have a sense that you don’t quite understand a lot of the responses or what’s coming next. Even in the books, they don’t fully explain why they’re asking about weapons of steel and things like that. It has this unease, a danger to it, but it’s also a little seductive and kind of appealing in a confusing way. So, we tried to bring in all these different layers to make them as layered and detailed as possible.
Thank you, Robert, for chatting with GGA!
The Wheel of Time Seasons 1 through 3 are now streaming on Prime Video.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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