The Wheel Of Time Season 3 Finale Villain Twist Teased By Liandrin & Elaida Actors: "After This Season...All Of Us Hate Her"

Spoilers for The Wheel of Time season 3 episodes 1-7.The Wheel of Time season 3 continues the Prime Video series’ trend of arguably improving upon Robert Jordan's source material when it comes to its villains. In The Wheel of Time books, Jordan’s villains already come with an array of motivations and flaws, but showrunner Rafe Judkins, along with the writers and cast, have taken that idea and run with it. Even before its looming finale, The Wheel of Time season 3 has explored the deepest desires of its antagonists, revealing deeply-held truths and their inner sparks of lightness alike.

Two key antagonists in The Wheel of Time season 3 are the aspiring Forskaen Liandrin and the White Tower’s latest mover and shaker, Elaida do Avriny a’Roihan. They’re played by returning actor Kate Fleetwood and series newcomer Shohreh Aghdashloo respectively, each of whom brings a very different–but equally threatening–air to their characters. Together, the villains prove that the heroes of The Wheel of Time are facing enemies on all sides, raising the stakes higher than they have yet been.

ScreenRant spoke with Kate Fleetwood and Shohreh Aghdashloo about their work as Leandrin and Elaida in The Wheel of Time season 3 just in time for The Wheel of Time season 3 finale. Interviewed independently from one another, Fleetwood and Aghdashloo discussed their character's motivations and their feelings about being a part of this unique fantasy world. Plus, the actors talked about how they do–or don’t–lean on Robert Jordan’s books for support.

Shohreh Aghdashloo Explains How Her Fans Got Her Cast On The Wheel Of Time

“The Expanse Is Finished. We Need To Get Her Another Job”

Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan (Shohreh Aghdashloo) offers gifts in The Wheel of Time Season 3 Ep 3

Before she became a part of The Wheel of Time series, Shohreh Aghdashloo was much appreciated in the role of Chrisjen Avasarala on The Expanse. So much so that once The Expanse concluded, according to her, fans said, “”The Expanse is finished. We need to find her another job in another TV series.’” That level of support was a big deal to Aghdashloo, who said she was “at home with these fans.”

Many Aghdashloo fans began voicing their desire to see her in The Wheel of Time–a movement the actor ignored (“It wasn’t for me to initiate this”, she said) until it grew so large that her social media manager told her to address it. When Aghdashloo responded to fans asking why they wanted her to play Cadsuane Sedai (a beloved character from The Wheel of Time novels who is equal parts wise and stubborn), the conversation evolved into fans reaching out to showrunner Rafe Judkins about the possibility of Aghdashloo’s casting.

Aghdashloo obviously didn’t end up playing Cadsuane, but thanks in part to the public’s nagging of Judkins (the showrunner did respond that Aghdahsloo had already been on their radar), the actor “met with their casting director” in London and received an offer shortly afterwards.

Kate Fleetwood Reflects On Making The Season’s Showstopping Cold Open

“How Did This Happen?”

Siuan uses her channeling abilities to lift Liandrin into the air in The Wheel of Time Season 3 Ep 1

The Wheel of Time season 3 opened with a bang in the form of a deadly battle at the White Tower. Liandrin, Fleetwood’s character who is out to be a member of the duplicitous and deadly Black Ajah, was one of those involved. “It took a long time to choreograph,” Fleetwood admitted, “it took a long time to film.”

But, Fleetwood shared, putting that sequence together had many of the hallmarks of her favorite kinds of projects: “All the cogs are working and everyone's moving towards this one thing together. It's like an ensemble, the crew and the cast and all the stunts. Everything's coming together and you really feel like you are making something together, which is how I like to work.”

At one point, Fleetwood even surprised herself, with the actor revealing, “[I’m] being sort of strung up and having all sorts of crazy things happen to me, and blood pouring out of my mouth, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m a 52-year-old, middle-aged mother of two. How did this happen?” I love the way that Rafe and the writers allow older women to have that agency. That's amazing.”

Shohreh Aghdashloo Reveals Why She Can’t Hate Elaida (But We Can)

“I Need To Be Faithful To The Character … To Make Her My Own”

Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and Adeleas Mathwin (Nila Aalia) covering each other's mouths in The Wheel of Time Season 3 Ep 5

After Liandrin and company nearly blew the roof off of the White Tower in their battle and subsequent escape, Elaida arrived to change things in a more subtle way–and a way that, at least in the book series, has caused many fans to have strong feelings toward her. “I love the comments,” Aghdashloo shared, continuing, “One of the comments said, ‘She’s playing Elaida. We hate Elaida. We love Aghdashloo. How could we hate Elaida now?’”

Fans reached a conclusion, according to Aghdashloo: “They’re like, ‘Okay, we can still love her, but hate Elaida.’ I said, ‘Yes, you can do that.’” But the actor herself can’t hate the character even as she allows fans to, revealing, “I need to be faithful to the character in order to be able to make her my own. That’s why I couldn’t hate her.”

That said, Aghdahsloo ended her response on an ominous note: “After I'm done with this season, let’s all of us hate her. Let's see whether she would allow us to hate her or not.”

Exploring Liandrin’s Backstory Presented Fleetwood With New Opportunities

“Now Is The Time I Can Do That Easter Egg For The Readers”

Liandrin Guirale (Kate Fleetwood) with her face splattered with blood in The Wheel of Time Season 3 Ep 1

Liandrin is one of the secret stars of The Wheel of Time season 3, with much real estate given to her backstory and her motivations. Plus, with Liandrin returning to her childhood home of Tanchico “with abandon” after the death of her son, she has been on something of a revenge tour. “She’s in free fall now,” Fleetwood said, “[and] she’s hungry for power.”

When it came to bringing Liandrin to Tanchico, Fleetwood had a conversation with Rafe Judkins and Justine Juel Gillmer about what it would mean for the character. “We talked about her going back home,” Fleetwood shared, “and facing that, and us painting that explicitly for the audience.”

There is one subtle way in which Fleetwood wanted the turmoil within Landrin to bubble to the surface in Tanchico. “I did know very early, having read the first book,” she revealed, “that her accent slips into something [of a] rougher dialect when she’s under pressure. I’ve always wanted to put that in, but I always felt like, if I tried anything, it would be difficult for people to connect with what [it] is.” This storyline, however, presented the “perfect opportunity.” Fleetwood continued: “I thought, ‘Now is the time I can do that Easter egg for the readers.’”

When deciding what Liandrin’s rougher dialect would be, Fleetwood even pulled from her own experience. The actor’s family are from Liverpool which, like Tanchico, is a port city. “I suggested that I do a little bit of a scouse accent in Tanchico,” Fleetwood said, “and when she’s faced with [her] past in all its sort of graphic nature, I put a little bit of that in there … it made sense. It was a visceral emotional reaction to going home. And we all have that in us–that old self, that we are meeting as we’re older.”

Don’t Worry, Everyone Loves Sophie Okonedo

Even If They Want To Bring Siuan Sanche Down

Siuan Sanche (Sophie Okonedo) smiling at Lord Gaebril in The Wheel of Time Season 3 Ep 2

Both Liandrin and Elaida are vocal opponents of Sophie Okonedo’s Siuan Sanche in The Wheel of Time season 3, but–in case you were wondering–the actors behind the villains are big fans. For Kate Fleetwood, Liandrin’s early-season confrontation with Siuan facilitated a long-awaited reunion: “I worked with Sophie when we were much younger actresses, so it was really lovely to be playing opposite her. I played her sister in a play, God, 26 years ago.”

“We've known each other forever,” Fleetwood continued, “So it was really moving to [be] up there screaming my head off at Sophie, and she's screaming at me. I'm thinking, ‘Gosh, who'd have thought [that] 26 years later, we'd be doing this?’”

Shohreh Aghdashloo didn’t know Okonedo in the same way, but was thrilled to share scenes with her, saying, “She’s an amazing actress, and what I love about working with great actors and actresses is the fact that, in our business, if my fellow actor does not shine, I do not shine. It really takes two to tango in our profession.”

Aghdahsloo continued, saying, “I knew that I was going to work with an amazing actress, and I loved her work. Therefore, when we saw each other backstage, I hugged her, kissed her, [and] she was a bit surprised. I said, ‘I love your work. I'm so happy that I get to work with you now.’”

Of course, Aghdahsloo and Okonedo wouldn't be doing their jobs if any mutual admiration was clear to the audience, and they knew. The actor revealed that “The moment we put our [feet] on the set and started acting, it was as though our characters were carrying swords to tear each other to pieces. I saw it in her eyes. Her eyes were kind of fiery, like, ‘Don't you dare betray me again. I would rip you apart into a thousand pieces.’”

Check out our other The Wheel of Time season 3 interviews, and keep your eyes peeled for new interviews dropping post-finale.