Q&A session with shorunner Rafe Judkins and actor Alvaro Morte on day of season 1 finale. The Q&A took place on Instagram Stories

 

Question: Has season 1 performed as you expected? Any thoughts on viewers’ feedback?

Rafe Judkins: When we started out, we knew the show had to appeal to a huge audience in order to justify its existence. So we always imagined that we’d likely lose absolute hardcore book fans who’ve read the series multiple times because the show would be too different from the books. And conversely, that we’d lose people who’ve never watched a fantasy show before because it’s too much like the books (which are very high fantasy). The target was always more people who read some or all of Wheel years ago or are fantasy/genre fans but not familiar with Wheel. Which is a huge breadth of people. The shocking thing to me has been how many really really Sarah Nakamura-level hardcore book fans have loved the show despite the departures and how many people who’ve never watched a fantasy show before in their lives are somehow finding their way to

 

Question: What was it about Logain’s story that attracted you to the role?

Alvaro Morte: His inner tragedy and how he handles it

 

Question: Why did you miss out the Avendesora leaves?

Rafe Judkins: Did we? [photo of Padan Fain holding a leaf]

 

Question: When will we see Logain sing Bella Ciao?

Alvaro Morte: As soon as we see the profession channeling

 

Question: Rafe – any plans to continue or even expand on the animated origin stories? They r AMAZING

Rafe Judkins: We are actually talking with Amazon now about a way to make these even bigger and better in S2. Rammy Park, Mike Weber and the Amazon X-Ray team have been incredible in putting them together and I want MORE.

 

Question: Alvaro! Do you think Logain deserves a second chance?

Alvaro Morte: I do ! Absolutely. Rafe…? You there…?

 

Question: When will we see Logain again?

Rafe Judkins: Sooner than you expect but later than you wish.

Editorial note: Rafe is an Aes Sedai

 

Question: Alvaro is my favourite thing about the show, can we make him teach Rand some things? He needs more screen time!

Alvaro Morte: I agree, that would be awesome!

 

Question: What drove the decision to film in “blocks” with different directors?

Rafe Judkins: This show requires such a huge level of commitment from everyone involved with it, that having fewer directors doing more episodes was the best way to get the best product. Having Uta, Wayne, Salli and Ciaran with us in Prague for 4-8 months each meant that all of them were fully immersed in the Wheel world and could really start to take in the books and how we’re adapting them.

 

Question: What drew you to playing Logain? Are you excited for his later character development?

Alvaro Morte: Logain is an amazing character. He is full of possibilities in terms of acting. It’s a gift for an actor to get the chance to perform a character like Logain and follow his development.

 

Question: Was Logain able to see Nynaeve’s weaves? It looked like he was shielding his eyes.

Rafe Judkins: I ‘d shield my eyes if I saw a woman absolutely explode with energy that shook the cave, Healed a dozen people and undid her braid. Braid-undoing energy is blinding, yo.

 

Question: What special nuances did Alvaro feel Logain must have?

Alvaro Morte: You can never be sure if Logain is saying the truth of lying.

 

Question: Is there a prop or costume you’d want to take home from the set?

Rafe Judkins: I keep asking for Two Rivers chairs for my house and Ondrej Nekvasil will NOT give them to me!!!

 

Question: Is there a prop or costume you’d want to take home from the set?

Alvaro Morte: My mates

 

Question: Rafe, what was it like working with Álvaro? How would you describe in him one word?

Rafe Judkins: If I could describe Alvaro in one word it would be “energizing”. Everywhere he goes, everything he does, he brings such energy to the room. Having dinner with him or being with him on set or even talking to him on zoom, I always leave feeling more excited about the character and what Alvaro can do with him than before.

 

Question: How different are the Professor and Logain?

Alvaro Morte: Completely different. The only thing they look alike is in the actor who plays them

 

Question: Were is our most important character, Bela? And when will she return to us?

Rafe Judkins: She is alive and well in Prague being ridden by Josha and Maddy on the regular.

 

Question: For Alvaro, Since I know you build your characters with music, what song did you choose for Logain?

Alvaro Morte: The Stabat Mater by Pergolesi

 

Question: How many seasons ahead are you thinking when making decision?

Rafe Judkins: All of them. Have to be. There’s lot of stuff that we’ve set up in Season One that are changes from the books that we needed to make for later payoffs.

 

Question: What’s it been like hearing about the praises and critics of the show by fans

Alvaro Morte: I felt a huge responsibility playing such a beloved character. I feel so humbly honored and happy with their response

 

Question: For Rafe: What made you cast Alvaro?

Rafe Judkins: I’d already loved Alvaro in Money Heist, so requested that Kelly have him tape for Logain. And the second his tape came through, we all just fell over with what he brought to Logain. Logain is one of the most complex and conflicted characters in the books, so we really needed someone who could deliver all of that behind the eyes.

 

Question: Was Login’s hysterical laughter real or was it all in Mat’s head?

Alvaro Morte: What do you think?

 

Question: What are you proudest of in terms of translating it from the book to a visual medium?

Rafe Judkins: That we did it at all. That we introduced millions of new people to this series. For thirty years, people said that Wheel of Time was “unadaptable”, but after today, the first season will be out entirely, and the number of people who’ve come to it and enjoyed it has been absolutely insane. It’s Amazon’s biggest premiere of all time, the most-watched show in the world for three weeks running, the completion rate is massive, and Eye of the World is back on the best seller list! To see something that I love so much that most of the world had never heard of become this big, this fast is honestly surreal. I thought it would be years before the show was this big. I still can’t quite believe it as each new number comes in.

 

Question: Alvaro, which one is harder to play? Professor or Logain?

Alvaro Morte: Its not hard…its just fun!!

 

Question: What’s your favorite easter egg/bit of foreshadowing in the show so far?

Rafe Judkins: *whistles faintly*

 

 

 

Omar Profile Photo (as a Chibi)
+ posts

I am a long time fantasy fan. Also a technology generalist with a knack for research. That likely makes me a Brown, but I'm more torn between the Yellows and the Blues.