Is there anything better than a complex, nuanced (and, let’s face it, messy) antagonist? Kate Fleetwood shows Liandrin Guirale’s true colors in The Wheel of Time Season 3 with her heel turn as a Darkfriend. Now, her Black Ajah membership and allegiance to the Dark One out in the open, the seasonal narrative catapults Liandrin’s arc in an intriguing direction.
Recently, I had the privilege of chatting with Kate about playing Liandrin in Season 3, filming that ambitious opening scene and more.
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This interview is edited for clarity.
Kate Fleetwood in The Wheel of Time Season 3
Melody McCune: I’m loving this season so far, especially the opening scene, which is absolutely bonkers. What was it like getting to film that sequence?
Kate Fleetwood: I didn’t think I’d ever film anything like that at my age, so I was delighted when Ray (Rafe Judkins) came to us and said he was going to [have] a bunch of middle-aged women shouting at each other and spitting up blood. It was brilliant.
The reason it was brilliant is not only is it a great piece of cinema, as it were, but it’s a great opening to get everyone back into the muscle of the show. It’s also a great thing to do as a company of actors and crew because it’s a shared endeavor. Everyone was exhausted, don’t get me wrong.
MM: Oh, I bet.
KF: What was funny is we finished the White Tower section, and we were like, “Yay, we did it.” Then, it was like, “Now, we’re going outside for two weeks.”
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There was that bit, which was a whole other thing. It’s great being an actress [at] my age [and] being hoicked up. Then, we’re bringing these stand-ins. Our first AD says, “The fire will [do this], and then, you’re going to be on this harness, and we’re going to put a wind machine on you.” I’ve always loved that about acting — you just don’t know the next thing.
What was also lovely is that Sophie [Okonedo] and I worked together when we were young actresses, 26 or 27 years ago. I played her little sister. We were doing Arabian Nights. She was Scheherazade, and I was Dunyazad. It was in a play in London. I just thought, “It’s hilarious. We would never have forecast this.”
MM: What a small world.
KF: I’ve known Sophie for years.
Liandrin’s Journey
MM: How did you react to Liandrin’s heel turn as a member of the Black Ajah?
KF: I always knew. [laughs] Yes, it’s fascinating to play. It’s just a great character. She’s always on that you don’t really know what you’re going to get. I like playing that; I like spinning it. I’m always looking for that sort of friction in the character. She’s great to play for that reason.
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Also, it’s the extremes. She miscalculates so much, doesn’t she? She lobotomizes that little girl. You’re like, “Maybe just a bit of counseling might have worked.”
MM: Just a couple weeks of therapy or something. [chuckles] We’re also getting backstory for Liandrin this season and her connection to Tanchico. What else can we expect from her journey?
KF: It’ll be surprising, and it’ll be like, “Oh, yes, of course.” She’s on the hunt, and she’s power-hungry. Now, her son is gone. She can act with abandon.
MM: He’s not holding her back anymore. In episode three, we learn her mission is to entrap the Dragon Reborn. Would you say her motivations go deeper than that, or can we accept that objective at face value?
KF: I think you can, at this stage, accept that at face value. [laughs]
An Interesting Dynamic
MM: Liandrin and Nynaeve’s dynamic is complex and interesting. What can you tease about their interactions this season?
KF: Oh, they weren’t easy to film. Zoë [Robins] and I, we don’t talk about it. It’s just something that’s happened between us. There’s a dynamic that’s fascinating to play, and we’re very caring of it as well. We don’t really have to talk about it.
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They’re both loners. They both mistrust authority. There’s a connection there. I think, for me, certainly for Liandrin, she doesn’t know she’s an antagonist, but she knows she butts against everybody all the time. Then, this person makes her feel human. She catches herself within it. When I say the scenes you will watch later in the season weren’t easy to play, I think I probably let you know that they were hard. [laughs]
Just Three Words
MM: Describe Season 3 using three words.
KF: Homecoming, wide, horizon.
MM: I love that. My last question for you. If you, as Kate, could pick an Ajah to join, which would you choose?
KF: I quite like Yellow. I think that’s very me.
MM: Me too.
KF: I’m piqued by the Blues, too. I’m pretty clumsy, so I don’t think I’d be a very good Battle Ajah. So, Blue or Yellow.
Thank you, Kate, for chatting with GGA!
The Wheel of Time drops new episodes every Thursday on Prime Video, with weekly releases leading to the season finale on April 17.
THE WHEEL OF TIME: Ayoola Smart and Ceara Coveney Talk Season 3
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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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