The Wheel of Time star talks sets, language, teasers, and more: “It’s breathtaking”

Amazon is eager to get back into production on its adaptation of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time. In the meanwhile, the cast has been connecting with fans, opening the door into one of the most highly anticipated television series of (hopefully) next year.

This includes Jennifer Cheon Garcia, who will play the Leane Sharif, an Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah. Leane trained as a Aes Sedai alongside Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) and Siuan Sanche, two other important characters from the series. She is a friend to both and known for her graceful beauty.

Garcia recently joined the friendly folk over at Talk’aran’rhiod: The Wheel of Time Showcast to talk about her time on the series. Let’s hit some of the highlights of what she had to say.

At 5’10”, Garcia is on the tall side, something she and Leane have in common. She’s also already had a lot of experience in TV. She played fan favorite character Ivory in Syfy’s Van Helsing, and made appearances in The Layover, Colony and The 100, to name a few.

It’s not lost on her that a lot of these are sci-fi/fantasy shows; she definitely has a niche. She’s already played vampires and warriors and the like. Playing a powerful sorceress on The Wheel of Time won’t be too much of a stretch. “What I love about Leanne in particular is the transition that she is going to go through,” Garcia said. “[A]ll the things that happen to her and how that affects her…She is a real survivor in that sense. It’s gonna be a really amazing journey.”

Fans who’ve been following the production closely might have noticed an Instagram post from a while back. It shows Garcia holding The Wheel of Time book New Spring. While she’s read the prequel, she admits she has yet to finish the whole series, which is quite an undertaking for anyone. “I’m enjoying it. Taking it one page at a time.”

It’s interesting that she’s reading New Spring at all, since that book is a prequel to the rest of the series, which kicks off officially with The Eye of the World. Does this mean that showrunner Rafe Judkins and his team are adapting parts of New Spring as part of the first season? The thought has crossed our minds.

As far as the production goes, Garcia joins cast members like Daniel Henney (Lan) in being very impressed. “It’s breathtaking,” she said. “You walk on set and you look at these full-on cities that they build, and you walk in there, and it takes hold of you. You think how easy it is going to feel to drop into this place and drop into these characters because you’re in these incredible costumes and there’s little details to everything, which brings you into that world and into that space. You can really live it and the camera catches it all. It was unlike any production I’ve ever walked onto. Every little detail, from the carvings on the floor to the detail of the little writings on the chair, I mean, my gosh. I can’t wait for you guys to see it.”

In addition to walking around the sets, Garcia has seen some of the footage filmed there. “We got to see a little teaser the last day we were there. We were all cheering and crying.”

The Wheel of Time fans everywhere are now counting down the days until that teaser is released.

Let’s move on to language, always a crucial part of any fantasy story. Jordan (and later Brandon Sanderson, who took over for the author after he died) had 14 books to explore a variety of nations and cultures, each with its own linguistic quirks. The show will sell the cultural differences through the sets, the costumes, and the accents.

So far as Leane goes, she will have “more of a UK accent,” according to Garcia. “We all kind of have a little bit of an accent.” She added that showrunner Rafe Judkins has been encouraging actors to use their natural accents when possible. It’s possible the refined British accent will be used for the Domani of Arad Doman, where Leane is from, or perhaps it will be the default for most Aes Sedai. Time will tell.

Pronunciation has always been a hot topic among fans, with everyone seeming to pronounce characters and places from Jordan’s novels differently. The show is hoping to clear things up. They’re using tons of interviews Jordan gave to determine the correct pronunciation of all the names and locations. Garcia mentioned her character’s named is being pronounced, “Lee-ah-nay.” Speaking about Lan, she pronounced it how it looks, instead of the more controversial “Lawn.”

Speaking about her accent, Garcia also let slip that she has filmed scenes with the Amyrlin Seat, the leader of the Aes Sedai. Now, this could be part of a flashback, so we’re not sure which Amyrlin Seat we’re talking about, but whichever character it is, we’re betting she’ll be played by Maria Doyle Kennedy, who was at the table read a while back.

Speaking of people at the table read, Garcia had nothing but wonderful things to say about her collaborators:

"Talking about the real world in Wheel of Time, you look at the different cast members and artists that have come together to collaborate on this. I was sitting at the table read and I started getting super emotional because there is so much unity within our crew, our cast, and with all of the diversity. Growing up, I didn’t see this diversity on screen…Everyone has a voice, and everyone has a place in our story. That is something I really love about this production. It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of that."

Garcia also talked about the power of fantasy and sci-fi, and how relating to these stories can help people through hard times. “Rafe has his connection to the story and it’s so beautiful,” she said, “It’s a project very dear to his heart and it comes out in the show. You can feel it on set. It’s not just an idea someone is trying to make happen, it actually is something dear to his heart, and our hearts.”

The conversation ends with an update on when filming might start up again. The show has been filming near Prague, which has reopened for filming. “I know they are definitely trying and want to finish up the season. But want to do it as safely and responsibly as possible. I know it is something they are actively trying to do.”

Hopefully, that means “as soon as possible.”

This interview is very encouraging. It’s great to know how much the people making The Wheel of Time believe in it. Hopefully that’ll translate to the finished show when it finally airs!

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