Michael McElhatton teases Tam al’Thor’s return on The Wheel of Time

Perhaps best known around these parts as the villainous Roose Bolton on Game of Thrones, veteran Irish actor Michael McElhatton recently took the time to discuss his newest project, Amazon’s The Wheel of Time. He plays Tam al’Thor, father to lead character Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski). And rest assured that Tam is a much better dad than Roose Bolton.

In our exclusive interview, McElhatton looks back on his time on Game of Thrones, discusses the Red Wedding, teased Tam’s return The Wheel of Time, and gave his thoughts on the young cast. Check it out below!

The Wheel of Time vs Game of Thrones

After years spent on Game of Thrones, McElhatton called stepping back onto a medieval fantasy set like The Wheel of Time “very different, but very familiar,” which sounds about right. McElhatton called himself “unbelievably unfamiliar” with The Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan, but has read all that he can about his character. For the rest, showrunner Rafe Judkins is on hand, and he “knows the books inside and out.”

As for being cast as the fatherly Tam, McElhatton thinks it’s “a breath of fresh air” after playing the dastardly Roose Bolton. “I rarely get cast as the nice guy; I’m invariably the villain.” And there’s more of Tam to come; apparently he “has hidden skills.”

So will we see Tam again in season 1? “[Y]ou may see him very briefly, very briefly.” We’re taking that as a solid yes.

Thanks for talking to us, Michael! New episodes of The Wheel of Time drop on Amazon Prime Video on Fridays.

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