The Wheel of Time Star Daniel Henney Reveals What He Learned From Playing Lan Mandragoran


Daniel Henney may have been working as an actor for almost two decades now but he still learned something new in his latest project. The X-Men Origins: Wolverine star has admitted that his new character in The Wheel of Time is very different from his previous roles. Interestingly, Henney confirmed that playing al'Lan Mandragoran helped him realize a different way to act.

Back in 2019, Henney was cast as Lan Mandragoran in The Wheel of Time. People were thrilled to learn about Henney's casting since it sounded like perfect casting. Although it seemed so, Henney admitted that it was more difficult getting into Lan's headspace than filming the action scenes.

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"Well, I mean, the physical demands are definitely the toughest, but I think, as an actor, I've really grown a lot with him, which is nice," Henney said on The Dusty Wheel show. "I mean, he's taught me a lot. I think he's such a still character. He's very strong in his silence, he's not always at the front of everything."

Henney added that Lan's quiet nature wasn't the easiest thing to portray.

"You might see him in the background, like packing saddlebags, talking to a horse, or like, I don't know, he's always just comfortable in his own silence. And as an actor, you kind of want to perform, you want to add something, you feel like you want to do something. And playing Lan's really taught me just to be still and to work within that silence," he said.

Lan might seem to be more of a background character but he is expected to play an important role in The Wheel of Time. As Moiraine's Warder, Lan is expected to protect the Aes Sedai from all threats. Since they are on a dangerous journey by the time we meet them in the series, there is little doubt that Lan will find himself in action several times.

The Wheel of Time also stars Rosamund Pike as Moiraine, Josha Stradowski as Rand, Marcus Rutherford as Perrin, Madeleine Madden as Egwene, Zoë Robins as Nynaeve, Sophie Okonedo as Siuan Sanche, Barney Harris as Mat Cauthon, and more. The series will premiere on Amazon Prime on November 19, 2021.

Related: Moiraine Makes an Entrance in New Wheel of Time Clip

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