Two Years Of Keeping It Secret

SPOILERS for The Wheel of Time season 3 finaleBook fans rejoice–The Wheel of Time season 3 finale introduced the series’ weirdest and most mysterious characters. At long last, the Eelfinn have been brought into the Prime Video adaptation through an encounter with Mat, who used his wits to navigate the bounds of a long-ago agreement they made with people of his realm. Mat made it out with gifts, but not unscathed; the deadly Eelfinn did their best to end Mat’s life through loopholes both metaphorical and literal (he was sent home hanging from a noose).

The Eelfinn viewers see was brought to life by Robert Strange, a creature actor who has also enjoyed a tenure on Prime Video’s other fantasy show as the orc Glûg. He kept the secret of his involvement in The Wheel of Time secret for years as fans fervently speculated whether or not the Eelfinn would make it into the screen. Although showrunner Rafe Judkins admitted in another ScreenRant interview that there were “conversations about cutting them”, he also revealed how the creatures were subtly set up all the way back in season 1.

ScreenRant interviewed Robert Strange about his time playing the Eelfinn in The Wheel of Time season 3 finale. Strange reflected on his experience keeping the secret for so long, revealed the incredible amount of work it took to practically create his costume, and shared what it was like working with Mat actor Dónal Finn. The actor also teased his appearance as Red Pyramid in the upcoming film Return to Silent Hill.

Robert Strange Details The Eelfinn’s Journey From Script To Screen

The Actor Auditioned Without Knowing What Show It Was For

“I am one of the most excited I’ve ever been to see any character appear on screen,” Robert Strange said, just a few days before The Wheel of Time season 3 finale was set to air. Since being cast as an Eelfinn, Strange had been waiting for his appearance after “almost two years of keeping it secret.” During those years, the actor’s appreciation for the Eelfinn’s beloved place among The Wheel of Time book fans only grew: “For the lifelong fans, I can imagine what it must feel like–which is terrifying. But I think people will be pleased with it.”

But the secrets of the Eelfinn were kept even from Robert Strange–at least at first. Unfamiliar with Jordan’s books (“I’ve just started,” said the actor), Strange wasn’t even told which show he was auditioning for when he first went out for the role. “It was all secret. It was a code name for the show and the character. It basically just said [it would be] a kind of ethereal, not-of-this-world, very poised, very powerful being.”

The sides Strange received were “very analogous to the final script from the scene” but with names changed for secrecy’s sake. “I basically just did a few different takes,” said the actor, who had been referred by Head of Prosthetics Nick Dudman, “some that were very poised and regal, and some that were a bit more orc-ish.” Once Strange got the role, he was told what fantasy world he’d be stepping into, allowing him to “start to build together what they could actually be like.”

The Eelfinn Required Next-Level Practical Effects

“What You See Was All Real. It Was All There.”

The Eelfinn are The Wheel of Time series’ most otherworldly creatures yet. Much credit is due to the show’s costume department, which outfitted Strange in staggeringly tall heels and clothes that evoke human faces (in the novels, the Eelfinn famously dress in human skin), but the Eelfinn’s foxlike fur was also a triumph. “In terms of the makeup, what you see was all real,” Strange said, “It was all there. The costume and makeup was real.”

Strange has used makeup and prosthetics to transform into characters for over a decade, but “this one was quite special,” said the actor, “because of the extent of it.” Getting into costume as an Eelfinn required roughly eight hours of makeup (“I’ve only done one, I think, that was longer, ever,” said Strange), and required a technique he had never had used on him before.

“Because I was furry,” Strange explained, “they did this technique called flocking, which I’d never had done before. They basically painted me. My whole torso, waist-up, was covered in glue with black paint in it, and then they spray, with this special gun, very tiny hairs that are electrically charged. They land on you, and they all align. Then, [the artists] use different lengths of hair and different colors, and then they add tufts to the elbows and stuff.”

Dónal Finn Wouldn’t Look At Robert Strange In Costume

The Actor Wanted Mat’s Reaction To Be As Genuine As Possible

Strange has brought life to orcs, aliens, and other beings of a variety of shapes and sizes, but playing an Eelfinn presented the actor with a unique challenge. “They’re not of this world,” he said, “they’re in another dimension. So, you want to give a sense that they’re unlike anything else that exists. But at the same time, they have this familiarity–the smell of the fox den–and knowing Mat’s thoughts and the language.”

Part of convincingly playing his character required Strange to wear mannerisms unlike every day humans, but it was also Mat’s reaction to the Eelfinn that cued the audience into the fact that even in the fantasy world of The Wheel of Time, things were getting weird. “Dónal was amazing to work with,” Strange said. “The energy you see with Mat on screen–he’s exactly like that in real life.”

“He was very keen to not look at me when I first arrived,” Strange revealed, “so, the very first take we did was the first time he actually properly looked at me.” It’s easy to imagine that being helpful for Finn, but it also added a quirk to the rehearsal process, according to Strange: “We did all of our rehearsals where he was looking away.”

But the creature actor ultimately praised Finn’s performance, saying “The Wheel of Time is already beautifully fantastical, and then this is another level on top of that. He brings a groundedness to it that I think it needs. Otherwise, it would run away with itself.”

Will The Eelfinn Have A Bigger Presence In The Show Than In The Books?

“There [Are] So Many Questions You’re Left With”

The Eelfinn (and their counterparts, the Aelfinn) manage to be some of the most memorable characters and creatures in all of The Wheel of Time book series despite readers’ very limited exposure to them. “That’s one of the things I loved and [that] was most challenging about the character–what’s written about them in the books,” Robert Strange said. “There’s plenty there, but then, at the same time, there [are] so many questions you’re left with. [Robert Jordan] has done that on purpose, because your imagination fills in the gaps.”

But could the Eelfinn get an expanded role in the series in the way that characters like Maksim, Liandrin, and Lanfear have? “The beauty of doing the show is that Rafe and all the other creatives get to fill in those gaps,” Strange said, mostly evading the question, “and then I got to do that a little bit as well. I think they’re a really wonderful addition to the world.”

Robert Strange Teases His Return To Silent Hill Movie Character

Expect “Some Cool Tweaks” To Red Pyramid

Robert Strange also briefly discussed his upcoming role in the Return to Silent Hill film, in which he will play Red Pyramid, promising familiarity, but with some tweaks: “[Fans] can expect the Silent Hill that they know and love, but with some really remarkable, jaw-dropping, creative new takes, [and] new angles on it to bring it into 2025–to bring it into the now. It’ll be familiar and exciting in that sense. But there are some–particularly to my character, I think, who I know best–some cool tweaks and new fresh takes on things that I think people will find pretty tasty.”

Check out our other The Wheel of Time season 3 interviews:

The Wheel of Time

6/10

Release Date

November 18, 2021

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Rafe Judkins

Directors

Sanaa Hamri, Ciaran Donnelly, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Thomas Napper, Maja Vrvilo, Wayne Che Yip

Writers

Amanda Kate Shuman, Dave Hill, Rohit Kumar, Justine Juel Gillmer, Celine Song, Rammy Park, The Clarksons Twins, Katherine B. McKenna