Following the high-octane events of the Season 2 finale, everything changes in The Wheel of Time Season 3. Each character embarks on a new chapter. We’ll undoubtedly see how the overarching narrative — the buildup to the inevitable Last Battle — affects our core players.
To celebrate the fast-approaching season premiere, I had the privilege of participating in a virtual press junket. I got to chat with Ayoola Smart and Ceara Coveney for a few minutes, who play Aviendha and Elayne Trakand, respectively, to ask them spoiler-free questions about their arcs in Season 3.
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This interview is edited for clarity.
The Wheel of Time Season 3
Aviendha and the Aiel
Melody McCune: I just watched the first two episodes of Season 3. It’s so good; I can’t wait for the rest of the season. My first question is for Ayoola. The Aiel take center stage in Season 3. What changed in your approach to playing Aviendha now that you’re fully immersed in Aiel culture versus Season 2?
Ayoola Smart: I think what was helpful was that I now had a more fully realized world to go into. That meant I had other characters and actors [to work with]. We got to expand that world together and make choices with the writers and directors to inform what the Aiel Waste would look like, feel like and be like. I think that was an invaluable wealth of things I got to play with.
Also, just to have all these new characters come in and feel embedded into something. What that meant for Aviendha and how she feels about returning home. Even the landscapes we were filming in and everything. It played a part and added to this feeling of returning home.
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In Season 2, she’s not in a familiar space. She’s that duck out of water, and we see her as this lone figure. We have the other Maidens, but with the three of them, they’re very much not in their natural environment. I think immediately stepping back into that natural environment was really cool.
Elayne’s Double Life
MM: For Ceara, what aspect of Elayne’s arc are you most excited for fans to see in Season 3 as she’s balancing being the Daughter-Heir of Andor and a future Aes Sedai?
Ceara Coveney: I’m really excited for audiences to see the introduction of Elayne’s family and their coming into the season. We’ve got some incredible actors on board. Olivia Williams plays Queen Morgase, and Luke Fetherston and Callum Kerr play my brothers.
They did such an incredible job of bringing these characters to life. I think what they also bring is such an interesting dynamic for Elayne to play off because she’s been introduced to this new life. Her world has expanded. Then, to be pulled back, and to remember her duty and responsibility to the Throne, and to have that payoff. There’s a line in the books that informed how I looked at that dynamic. It was about Elayne being like a towel between two dogs — between the [Lion] Throne and the [White] Tower.
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That really informed how I saw the situation and what that internal battle was like for Elayne, and [how] that then propels her into the rest of the season.
The Wheel of Time Season 3 premieres on Thursday, March 13, with its first three episodes. Then, we’ll get new episodes weekly until the season finale on April 17.
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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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