‘The Wheel of Time’s Zoë Robins on Her Most “Physically Demanding” Scene

The Big Picture

• Nynaeve’s channeling block allowed the exploration of her softer side in The Wheel of Time Season 2, showcasing her maternal instincts and vulnerability.
• Actress Zoë Robins says that the trial in the Arches was emotionally and physically demanding to film, but it allowed viewers to see Nynaeve in a different light.
• Nynaeve’s experience in the Arches and the loss of her child will have a lasting impact on her character, changing her and leading to further growth and evolution.

We’re further out now from The Wheel of Time‘s Season 2 finale, but given everything that goes down in that major episode, we knew we needed the help of some of the show’s cast to wrap our heads around it all. While Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) finally accepts his role as the prophesied Dragon Reborn (with some help from Rosamund Pike‘s Moiraine), the original Two Rivers five (plus one!) reunite in the city of Falme as the dust settles after that epic battle between Seanchan, Whitecloaks, Aiel, and… wait, what about that new member of the Forsaken (Laia Costa) lurking softly, softly from the shadows?

Although Prime Video hasn’t yet confirmed when the much-anticipated third season will drop, that only means we have plenty of time to keep breaking down Season 2’s biggest moments. We’re officially wrapping up our coverage with some of The Wheel of Time‘s newest additions and most recognizable faces, but the cast has given us so much terrific insight into some of what their characters faced (as well as hints about what we can look forward to). Collider had the chance to sit down with Zoë Robins, who plays Nynaeve, for a spoiler-filled conversation via Zoom about some of her character’s biggest moments this season. Over the course of the interview, which you can read below, Robins discusses what Nynaeve’s channeling block this season allowed her to explore about the character, how Nynaeve’s trial in the Arches changes her moving forward, what she enjoys about figuring out Nynaeve and Elayne’s new friendship with Ceara Coveney, and more.

Zoë Robins on Exploring Nynaeve’s Softer Side in Season 2

COLLIDER: After having such an explosion of power in Season 1, Nynaeve’s block is such an important part of her arc, and it’s something that we see explored in Season 2. What did that struggle for her allow you to do in terms of letting you focus on developing other parts of her character?

ZOË ROBINS: I think it’s important to show all the nuances of Nynaeve, and yes, she is this incredibly strong-willed character, but she’s incredibly human with a lot of insecurities and self-doubt. It’s very important for audiences to see someone who can be both and a lot else as well. What I enjoyed about Season 2 was getting to see a softer version of Nynaeve — obviously, seeing her maternal side with her child, but also at the end of Season 2, struggling with not being able to access the One Power and not being able to help her friends and what that means for her going forward. It’s quite a confronting moment for Nynaeve and a very, very important one.

The trial through the Arches is one of the most pivotal moments for her early in the season. It feels like Nynaeve almost lets herself be defined by a life that she wants to have, that she craves so badly. It feels like an emotional gauntlet — not just to watch, but I imagine to play through as well.

ROBINS: Yeah, absolutely. It was a gift to receive a script like that and have the trust of the writers and creators to allow me to go that deep with my Nynaeve’s journey, but also it was an incredibly emotionally and physically demanding time. I just had to make sure that I was looking after myself and getting rest and sleep and baths and all the rest of it in order to be able to go there. But I am so very grateful for that, and I think it was really, really important for people to see Nynaeve in such a different way. We could see how big her heart is, but also have our hearts break for her as well. I feel very, very sad, that I needed such an awful thing to go through. But, as an actor, it was a brilliant, brilliant gift.

How does she carry that experience through the rest of the season?

ROBINS: I feel like Nynaeve is… at the baseline, she’s always been maternal when it comes to her friends from the Two Rivers. She has taken on that maternal role, but with Episode 3, we get to see it in a new way with her child. Then losing her child, that’s something that she will never forget — even though after the Arches, usually I think what happens is memories start to fade, but this is something that can never be forgotten with a certain relationship and a bond between a mother and their child. Nynaeve will never be the same again. And we see her in various stages of mourning, and that shows through where we find her at the end of Season 2. She’s changed a lot because of what she’s gone through in the season, and she will continue to change and evolve.

Zoë Robins Enjoys the “Polar Opposites” Nature of Nynaeve and Elayne’s Friendship

I am such a fan of this… I think you can call it a friendship, but it’s definitely in its beginning stages, between Nynaeve and Elayne. What did you enjoy most about finding the beginnings of that relationship, especially with Ceara?

ROBINS: It’s really fun when there are new characters because it almost feels like a new project when you get to work with new people. They bring a new energy, there’s a new dynamic, things kind of shift on the day. There’s just a different essence and a different feel to the work. I think the relationship is so funny. They are almost like polar opposites, but as you say, they bond through the common friendship and love of Egwene. Somehow, they manage to get along in their strange way, and it is just a joy to work with Ceara as well. She’s such a sweetheart and a wonderful actor as well. I found it really nice to see a lighter side to Nynaeve through their quarrels.

The finale is really the first time that we get to have the Two Rivers gang all back together since last season. What was it like to reunite with everyone in that way, in terms of the mood on set for filming — and also because it’s such a climactic moment in the show?

ROBINS: Yeah, it was so exciting, and you’re right, it was the first time, certainly, that the Two Rivers gang had all been reunited. For a few of them — I guess not Mat, but the rest believed that Rand was dead. So it was a very overwhelming moment for a lot of the characters to see Rand alive and then to be declared as the Dragon Reborn. There’s so much happening at once at the end of the season. But for us actors as well, it was just so fun to be with one another. We are like a family, so it’s always wonderful to have your family on set with you. We don’t often get those moments, and when we do, we are very excited and very silly, and it’s fun.

Both seasons of The Wheel of Time are available to stream on Prime Video.

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