Interview with Patton Oswalt

TV Interview!

 

Patton Oswalt, host of "The 1% Club" on Amazon Prime Video and FOX

Interview with Patton Oswalt, host of “The 1% Club” on Amazon Prime Video and FOX by Suzanne 4/30/24

This was a wonderful interview! I’ve enjoyed Patton’s work ever since I saw him in “Justified” (one of the best shows on TV), where he played Constable Bob. He’s done so many wonderful shows and movies, as well as his great standup act.   I don’t watch many game shows, but this new one is smart and funny. It’s very challenging. If you love “Jeopardy,” you should love this one, too. It airs tomorrow, May 23, on Prime Video, and then airs again on FOX, starting Monday, June 3.

They only gave me 6 minutes with him, so I was talking pretty fast. I hope you can understand me!  Enjoy!

MORE INFO: Official Site  Trailer

Patton Oswalt, host of "The 1% Club" on Amazon Prime Video and FOX

The 1% Club

Coming to Prime Video On May 23, 2024* *All new episodes of The 1% Club will be available for Prime Video customers weekly starting May 23, and will also air on FOX, on Mondays beginning June 3. *US, CAN ONLY

‘The 1% Club’, where the questions have nothing to do with remembering little known facts, endless reams of dates or obscure quiz trivia, as instead they are all about applying logic, reasoning skills and common sense. The show begins with 100 contestants, who are then whittled down as they compete to make it to the end and answer a question only 1% of the country can get right, in hopes of winning up to 100,000 dollars.

 

Patton Oswalt, host of "The 1% Club" on Amazon Prime Video and FOXPatton Oswalt continues to leave his distinctive imprint across all areas of entertainment, from his award-winning comedy specials to his many guest roles on television. His most recent comedy special We All Scream (which also marked his directorial debut) launched on Netflix in late 2022 and Oswalt was nominated for a Grammy for his comedy album. Last year, he also starred in the Magnolia Pictures comedy I Love My Dad, winner of the Grand Jury and Audience awards at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival.  
 
Oswalt was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for his performance in Jason Reitman’s film Young Adult, starring opposite Charlize Theron. In 2009, he also received critical acclaim for his performance in Robert Siegel’s Big Fan; the film was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and Oswalt earned a Gotham Award nomination for his performance. 
 
Oswalt has appeared in many films, including The Circle, alongside Tom Hanks, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Zoolander, both directed by Ben Stiller, Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant with Matt Damon, and alongside Seth Rogen in Jody Hill’s Observe and Report, as well as Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia and Todd Phillips’ Starsky and Hutch.
 
Oswalt’s past television work includes memorable roles on Parks and Recreation, which brought him a TV Critics Choice Award, A.P. Bio, Veep, United States of Tara, Seinfeld (his TV acting debut), and many more. He is also very well known for playing ‘Spence’ on The King of Queens for nine seasons.  Oswalt is also the narrator on ABC’s hit comedy The Goldbergs.  He provided the voice for ‘Remy’ the rat in Pixar’s Oscar¼ winner Ratatouille, and his other voice credits include ‘Max’ in The Secret Life of Pets 2, Sorry To Bother You, the SYFY series Happy!, Rick and Morty, Archer, and BoJack Horseman. 
 
In 2020, Oswalt’s Emmy nominated Netflix special I Love Everything was widely applauded upon release, and he received a Grammy nomination for his comedy album of the same name. In 2017, he received Grammy and Emmy nominations for his album and Netflix special Annihilation, which addresses his own devastating loss and dealing with the unexplainable, while making it all painfully funny.  In 2016, he won the Emmy for ‘Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special’ for his sixth comedy special Talking for Clapping and a Grammy Award in 2017 for his comedy album. He has been nominated for a total of six Grammys and four Emmys.  Oswalt has shot eight TV specials and released seven critically acclaimed albums — in 2009, Patton received his first Grammy nomination for his album My Weakness Is Strong. 

Credits

Executive Producers
Wes Kauble
Ryan O’Dowd
Krystal Whitney
Dean Nabarro
Andy Auerbach
Patton Oswalt
Craig Brooks
Ronnie Hysten

Directors
Carrie Havel

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Interview with Serinda Swan, Shaun Sipos and Maria Sten

TV Interview!

 

Serinda Swan, Shaun Sipos and Maria Sten of "Reacher" on Prime Video

Press Panel

Interview with Serinda Swan, Shaun Sipos and Maria Sten of “Reacher” on Prime Video by Suzanne 12/12/23

“Reacher” season two is even better, in my opinion, than season one, and the cast additions are part of the reason. Swan and Sipos are talented and able to handle action, drama and comedy equally with no obvious effort (as they’ve proven many times).  I believe the writing is also better, and it has a lot more humor than season one.  Sipos’ character is wise-cracking, but he’s certainly not the only one that has funny lines. Of course, you know with this kind of show that they try to put in humor to balance out the serious drama (and tragedy). I enjoyed speaking to these three actors. Swan was so great in “The Inhumans” and “Coroner,” and Sipos has been in many fine shows that I love, such as “Krypton,” “Dark Matter” and “The Vampire Diaries.” This was a roundtable, so there were other journalists. I was only able to ask one question, unfortunately. Watch the new season now!

MORE INFO: Trailer Official Site

Reacher key art

About

Reacher Season Two begins when veteran military police investigator Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) receives a coded message that the members of his former U.S. Army unit, the 110th MP Special Investigations, are being mysteriously and brutally murdered one by one. Pulled from his drifter lifestyle, Reacher reunites with three of his former teammates turned chosen family to investigate, including Frances Neagley (Maria Sten); Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan), a forensic accountant for whom Reacher has long had a soft spot; and fast-talking, switchblade-wielding family man David O’Donnell (Shaun Sipos). Together, they begin to connect the dots in a mystery where the stakes get higher at every turn, and brings about questions of who has betrayed them—and who will die next. Using his inimitable blend of smarts and size, Reacher will stop at nothing to uncover the truth and protect the members of his unit. If there’s one thing Reacher and his team know for certain, it’s that you do not mess with the Special Investigators. This season, get ready for Reacher and the 110th to hit back hard.

Based on Bad Luck and Trouble, the 11th book in Lee Child’s global best-selling series, Reacher Season Two stars Alan Ritchson in the title role of Jack Reacher, with Maria Sten, Serinda Swan, and Shaun Sipos as key members of the 110th MP Special Investigations Unit. Rounding out the cast are Ferdinand Kingsley as A.M., a mercenary that homeland security refers to as a “ghost;” Robert Patrick as Shane Langston, head of security for a private defense contractor with a questionable track record; and Domenick Lombardozzi as tough NYPD detective Guy Russo.

Reacher is produced by Amazon Studios, Skydance Television, and Paramount Television Studios. Based on the novels by Lee Child, who serves as an executive producer, the series is written for television by Emmy-nominated writer Nick Santora (Scorpion, Prison Break), who also executive produces and serves as showrunner. In addition to Santora and Child, the series is executive produced by Don Granger, Scott Sullivan, and Adam Higgs, with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Matt Thunell for Skydance.Scene from "Reacher" season 2. Credit: Brooke Palmer/Prime Video

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Country Availability

Worldwide

Executive Produced By

Nick Santora, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Lee Child, Scott Sullivan, Adam Higgs, Matt Thunell

Developed By

Nick Santora

Produced By

Amazon Studios, Skydance Television, Paramount Television Studios

Credits

Based on Lee Child’s 11th Jack Reacher novel Bad Luck and Trouble

Produced by
Amazon Studios, Skydance Television, Paramount Television Studios

Developed by
Nick Santora

Showrunner
Nick Santora

Executive Producers
Nick Santora
David Ellison
Dana Goldberg
Don Granger
Lee Child
Scott Sullivan
Adam Higgs
Matt Thunell

Cast
Alan Ritchson
Maria Sten
Serinda Swan
Shaun Sipos
Domenick Lombardozzi
Ferdinand Kingsley
Robert Patrick

Photo Credit: Alejandro DouekMaria Sten

Frances Neagley

Maria Sten most recently starred as Liz Tremayne in the cult hit series Swamp Thing opposite Crystal Reed, Jennifer Beals, Virginia Madsen, Will Patton and Andy Bean, executive produced by James Wan. She is also known for playing the lead role of Jillian Hope Hodgson on Syfy’s Channel Zero.

As an accomplished writer, Sten most recently wrote on ABC’s hit show Big Sky from David E. Kelley and has previously been selected for the 2017 The Black List / Women In Film Episodic Labs, as well as Christina Hodson and Margot Robbie’s Lucky Exports Pitch Program in 2019. Sten debuted her first short, When It Burns, which she wrote, directed, produced and starred in at Uptown Short Film Festival and LA Shorts Fest 2016.

A former professional dancer and model, the multi-lingual Danish/Swedish/Congolese beauty was born in Copenhagen and crowned Miss Denmark 2008.

She is represented by CAA, Grandview, and Granderson Des Rochers.

Serinda Swan plays Karla Dixon in "Reacher" on Prime Video. Photo Credit: Liz RosaSerinda Swan
Karla Dixon

Serinda Swan was born in Vancouver, Canada to a family of artists. Her father and step-mother are both in the theatre world. Father Scott Swan is an established theater director and has an acting studio in Vancouver and stepmother Cheryl Swan is a faculty emeritus who taught post-secondary theatre for over 35 years. Swan’s mother Alandra Napali Kai is a leader in the health and wellness world and runs women’s retreats all around the world.Swan was introduced to the television world with popular shows like Supernatural, Psych, and Hawaii Five-O. In 2009, she was cast as the iconic ‘Zatanna’ in the popular show Smallville.Feature films soon followed with Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief directed by Chris Columbus and Disney’s TRON: Legacy opposite Jeff Bridges. In 2011, Swan was cast as the female lead ‘Erica Reed’, in the series Breakout Kings. After the series’ two-year run, she was cast as a series regular in the hit show GRACELAND which ran until 2015.Swan’s work continued by playing the iconic Anne Bancroft, alongside Jessica Lange in Ryan Murphy’s show FEUD!. Swan was then cast opposite Dwayne Johnson to play his love interest on the hit series Ballers. Simultaneously working with ‘The Rock’, Swan was cast as the female lead in Marvel’s Inhumans opposite Anson Mount and Iwan Rheon. She portrayed the iconic character Medusa, the queen of the Inhumans. Swan is currently leading the cast of CBC’s primetime hit drama series, Coroner which has just completed production last year.On the philanthropic side, Swan is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Education technology company Deedly. Her goal is to give students a choice in the future they want to be a part of and give them the tools and information to achieve it at no cost to them, their teacher, the school or the charity highlighted. Her belief is that education should be free, and through their specific monthlong curriculum they educate students about world issues and the charities that strive to fix them. “Traditional education systems focus on harnessing the capacity of the mind, I want to harness the capacity of the heart.” Deedly will be in over 1000 schools by the end of the year.Swan has worked closely with the UN, staying in refugee camps at the border of south Sudan on an anti-Malaria mission, cycled across the entire country of Cambodia to bring awareness to anti-sex trafficking and has gone skydiving over 10 times at 18,000 feet (North America’s highest skydive) for her yearly fundraiser for anti sex trafficking and women’s equality.Swan was also invited to be one of the headline speakers at TEDXVancouver and recently spoke at the United Nations on International Women’s Day 2018 as well as a panel on how the media and entertainment industry can influence social change.To date, Swan has personally raised over $700,000 for charity and reached over 100 million people with her awareness campaigns.Shaun Sipos plays David O'Donnell in "Reacher" on Prime Video; photo from Amazon press siteShaun SiposDavid O’Donnell

Shaun Sipos (born October 30, 1981[1]) is a Canadian actor, known for playing Jack on the series Complete Savages, Eric Daniels on Life Unexpected, David Breck on series Melrose Place, Aaron Whitmore on The Vampire Diaries, and Adam Strange on Krypton.

Interview with “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson

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Scene from "Reacher" season 2. Credit: Brooke Palmer/Prime Video

 

Interview with Zoë Robins and Madeleine Madden

TV Interview!

Madeleine Madden and Zoë Robins of "Wheel of Time" on Amazon Prime

Interview with ZoĂ« Robins and Madeleine Madden of “Wheel of Time” on Amazon Prime by Suzanne 10/6/21

These press interviews with the Wheel of Time cast were short but a lot of fun. The series is exciting. I’ve only seen a few episodes so far, but I really enjoyed them.

Suzanne: Zoë, you do a lot of swimming in the first two episodes that I saw. What was the weather like in Prague when you were doing that, and was it cold?

Zoë: The swimming that I did, I did a bit in episode three, and that was actually in the studio. So, thank goodness, it was warm; they heated the pool. They really did take good care of us. So, I was okay. I was okay.

Suzanne: Good and had either of you done any sword fighting or any physical stuff before this show?

Madeleine: I’ve done stunts before on jobs, but nothing to this level, I think, with horse riding and sword fighting, and it was a completely different beast on this one. We had a month of prep to do some horse riding sessions with our movement coach and stunts. So, no, for me personally, nothing on this level.

ZoĂ«: Same with me. I also had a little bit of stunt experience, particularly with a TV show called Power Rangers; stunts were kind of a given. But on this level [it’s] like nothing I’ve ever done before. We had an intensive boot camp to get us up to speed, and even still, we’re still training with with the amazing stunt team. So yeah, we all had a lot to learn.

Question: Egwene is getting initiated into the women’s circle. So, I was wondering if there was any traditions, within your family, to like say, “Hey, I’m a woman now,” or any kind of conversations that you’ve had with your moms, or even women in your family, that are similar to what the women’s circle did in the episode?

Madeleine: Yeah, thank you. That’s such a wonderful question. I’m Aboriginal, so I’m a First Nations’ person of Australia, and there definitely are initiation ceremonies that both men and women do to welcome women or men that are of age in a community. So, that was very special seeing that this was part of a tradition and culture in the Two Rivers. Absolutely, I definitely [grew] up in a very matriarchal family. So, there’ve always been conversations about when you’re coming of age, and also, I really look up to the women in my family. They’re all such pillars of strength, and that’s something that we see in this show, as well. So, I feel like my life and my heritage was a wonderful preparation for what I would find in in this series.

Question: That was for Zoë too.

ZoĂ«: Oh, sorry. Similar to me, I have some incredible women in my family. I do remember some very deep and meaningful and raw and honest conversations I had with my mum as a teenager that got me up to speed with with real life and what to expect, but I can’t say anything similar to pushing someone off a cliff like Nynaeve does to Egwene. So, yeah, my conversations were a little bit more [laughs] tame.

Madeleine: Using words, I guess, more than force.

Zoë: Yeah.

Question: You make it look like the most fun job in the world, and sometimes it can be, but some of these things look like they were kind of difficult to do. I’m curious to know, what kind of headspace do you have to put yourself in, or is there something you have to tell yourself to sort of keep on the right path and keep in the right mindset to do everything that you do?

ZoĂ«: Yeah, I think it’s really important to know – I mean, for me, [for] my process, I like to know where my character has just been and also where she’s going. So, that’s really helpful to stay present in the moment. I think we’ve all had a lot of experiences of really traumatic scenes, emotionally and physically, and it becomes very draining. So, learning how to prepare yourself before then, and being kind to yourself and resting and loving on yourself was really important. But I think a lot of us just immerse ourselves completely. I don’t know if that’s the best way to do it in terms of looking after ourselves, but, I mean, I look around at the the work that everyone’s putting in, and everyone just gives their absolute all to some very hard requirements.

Madeleine Madden and ZoĂ« Robins of "Wheel of Time" on Amazon PrimeMadeleine: Yeah, absolutely. I think there’s something that you said there, which was, just completely immersing ourselves. I think it is an art form of trying to get in that character’s headspace and just completely staying there in the scene, which can be difficult, but when you have a group of actors that you trust, writers, directors that you can trust, to care for you and your craft, you feel safe enough to kind of push those boundaries, whether that’s physically or emotionally. But it’s been amazing to lose ourselves with these characters and just what they go through.

Question: What’s the relationship like, from each of your perspectives, [between] Nynaeve and Egwene on the series?

ZoĂ«: Nynaeve and Egwene’s relationship is really special. It’s definitely like a sisterly bond, but it’s much more than that. I don’t know, I think we haven’t seen a relationship like this on screen. I think it’s a really beautiful relationship to explore, this purely platonic, sisterly love. I mean, for Nynaeve, she will do absolutely anything for Egwene, and she thinks the world of her. She sees her potential and just wants nothing but the best for Egwene, and I think that’s a really beautiful thing that our show was doing is really highlighting how important these real and truthful relationships are, especially when they want each other to succeed and do well. I think it’s nice to to celebrate those types of relationships.

Madeleine: Yeah, absolutely, I think Egwene really looks up to Nynaeve as a mentor and as like a big sister. They really support each other and champion each other. And I think, like ZoĂ« said, wanting the other to succeed and do well is what gets them through. A lot of the time they survive to make sure the other one lives, which is really wonderful. They’ll do anything for each other, and it’s such a wonderful bond. Yeah, like ZoĂ« said, I think [that’s something that] sometimes, particularly in this genre, that we might not necessarily see.

Question: What’s your favorite part about of this world that The Wheel of Time takes place in? What stands out to you about it and makes you excited about the show and being in it?

ZoĂ«: I think, for me, the level of specificity and detail Robert has obviously put into the world, but in particular, the characters. I mean, for me, it hasn’t been much of a struggle to try and access Nynaeve, because there’s so much on the page already. There’s so much to work with. There’re obviously so many resources. There’re 14 books, as we all know, so, when in doubt, we can search for anything that we’re not sure of, but Rafe has also been an incredible expert and help [to] us. So, yeah, definitely the characters. I’ve never played a character so fleshed out and just real. I think what makes them so beautiful is that they’re so relatable but real humans with complexities and flaws, and they’re not the greatest at times, and you question a lot of their motives and their actions. But yeah, I think that’s what makes them so great.

Madeleine: Yeah, absolutely. They’re just real people in a very fantastical, epic world. I think that’s what makes them such lovable characters is that we can all find a bit of them in ourselves and then relate to them, and exactly like ZoĂ« said, the detail that Robert Jordan has given us with his work is – I remember the first day we walked onto the set of the Two Rivers, and it was exactly how I pictured it from reading the books. So, I think reading the story, and then seeing it come to life, and seeing another artist’s interpretations and their collaborations on the characters or the worlds, has been amazing to just see and be immersed in it.

Question: You’ve got gotten to live with these characters now for a while. What’s one thing that you hope that the audience takes away about your character that maybe they don’t see quite on the screen?

ZoĂ«: That’s a great question.

Madeleine: Yeah. Thank you. I think with Egwene, [I’ve] certainly grown with her. She has this sort of sense of self and determination, and she knows her self worth, which I’ve definitely learned a lot a lot about from playing her. I really hope that audiences can also picture themselves in this world and also relate to our heroes and what they go through.

ZoĂ«: Yeah, and for Nynaeve, I hope people can can understand her motivations and why she acts the way she does. [It’s] often because of her deep, intense love for the people that she’s with. She will do anything for the Two Rivers kids in particular. And oftentimes, I think book readers question whether they are aligned with what Nynaeve does and how she thinks and her as a character, but I, personally, get her and love her. So, yeah, I’d love for people to understand all the complexities and the nuances that our characters have underneath.

Here’s the video!

Interview Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com

The main cast of heroes of "Wheel of Time" on Amazon Prime

MORE INFO:

Zoë Robins was born on February 19, 1993 in Wellington, New Zealand. She is an actress, known for Power Rangers Ninja Steel (2017) and Black Christmas (2019).

Madeleine Madden (born 29 January 1997) is an Australian actress. In 2010, at age 13, Madden became the first teenager in Australia to deliver an address to the nation, when she delivered a two-minute speech on the future of Indigenous Australians. It was broadcast to 6 million viewers on every free-to-air television network in Australia.  Madden has starred in short films by Deborah Mailman, and Meryl Tankard and co-starred with Christina Ricci and Jack Thompson in Around the Block.[8][10] Her first film acting job was at 8 years old. She aims to become a director in the future. When she was 21, Madden made her big Hollywood debut as Sammy in the 2019 Nickelodeon film Dora and the Lost City of Gold.

More info about the show on our other interview

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Madeleine Madden and Zoë Robins of "Wheel of Time" on Amazon Prime

Interview with Josha Stradowski and Marcus Rutherford

TV Interview!

Josha Stradowski and Marcus Rutherford of "Wheel of Time" on Amazon

Interview with Josha Stradowski and Marcus Rutherford of “Wheel of Time” on Amazon Prime by Suzanne 10/6/21

This was a fun interview with these young men. I had watched a few of the episodes the previous night, so it was great to meet them and two of the other actors who star in the show. We only had a brief interview with them, and there were other journalists asking questions as well.

Josha: It looks tropical over there, more tropical than here in Prague.

Suzanne: Yeah, yeah, this is a fake background. Where are you guys?

Marcus: We’re in Prague at the moment.

Suzanne: Still there. Are you still filming the first season?

Marcus: Season Two.

Suzanne: Oh, you started on season two already? Oh, that’s great. That was one of my questions. So, had you read the books before you started filming?

Marcus: I hadn’t. I hadn’t heard of the books, but as soon as I kind of got the part, I was blown away that I actually hadn’t, because it’s so highly regarded, and there’re so many copies; like ninety million copies have been sold. So, yeah, I quickly started reading The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt before we did season [one].

Josha: Yes, same. When I got the part, I started reading the next day. I haven’t finished it yet. I’m on book eleven now. I’m climbing that mountain. I’m not at the top yet, but the view from up here’s pretty good around.

Marcus: [laughs] Sound bite.

Suzanne: And as a follow up, do you know how closely the series follow the books?

Josha: Well, it’s not a one on one adaption, but I’m sure that it does the book justice. It takes the fundamentals, the essentials of the book, 100%.

Suzanne: Okay, great. I’ll let someone else have a chance.

Question: [For] Perrin, I guess, Marcus, you mentioned that you haven’t really read the books, but Perrin’s an axe wielder himself. Rand, in the early episodes, uses a bow often and then moves more to be a sword master. So, what was it like training with those weapons? Is that something you’ve ever done before, or was it completely new to you?

Marcus: Yeah, it was pretty new to me, but I think, when we started, we had quite an intense sort of stunts workshop. I think in that first episode, it kind of kicks off quite a lot. So, we all had those fight scenes to work with, but yeah, it was really cool to kind of work with an axe. I think, obviously, it’s something that Perrin has a particular relationship with, as we kind of move forward, but from the offset, to kind of work with that particular weapon, was really, really cool.

Josha: I had some sword fighting in drama school, but it didn’t feel like was very useful, because this kind of sword fighting we did was definitely more vicious. But, I guess, like you said, first round [he’s] more familiar with the bow and arrow, so I had archery training, and later on, when we all started, we all had sword-fighting training.

Question: How long did it take for you guys to shoot the Trolloc attack in the Two Rivers?

Josha: I mean, I think the bit of Daniel only took a week on itself.

Marcus: Yeah.

Josha: It took really long.

Marcus: Yeah, Daniel and Rosamund had a lot. They had like the bad short straw in terms of like how many nights shoots they had. I think, overall, I don’t know how many, but it was weeks.

Josha: Yeah, a couple of weeks, I think.

Marcus: A couple of weeks or like three weeks. It was lots of different kind of battles all kind of like merging into one. So, when you kind of see it – we saw episode one – it’s amazing how they jump in between. But I remember walking around Prague, having days off, [being] like, “Who’s filming now?” and it was Rosamund and Daniel [who] were still doing that battle. So, yeah, they did amazing.

Question: Whether you’ve read the books or not, I think it maybe doesn’t even matter, this does a great job of explaining it, but like some of the best sci-fi, even though it’s a fantastical world, there are things that we can learn or things that we can get out of this that are parallel to our lives. So, what is it that you suppose people will will sort of think about or take away that’s relevant to us as well?

Marcus: I do think the aspect of like – within the magical system of The Wheel of Time, kind of that male superiority is kind of flipped with the fact that only certain women are allowed to access magic. I think that is just something that’s quite cool to see on screen and something to think about, you know, if that power dynamic had been altered in that way. What would a world look like, if men were, to put it, the underdogs, essentially. So, I think that’s something that you can kind of think about in a contemporary aspect as well.

Josha: Yeah, and on top of that, I guess, because the world of The Wheel of Time is so, so big in so many different groups of people, cultures, different beliefs, and it’s just as hyper polarized and divided as our world is. I guess, the whole show of The Wheel of Time is about finding finding that balance. I think that nowadays, in this time, that is something that will be interesting to see, for people.

Question: I want to ask you both, you both, especially Perrin, is carrying some baggage and some other feelings, but Rand is also carrying some things as well. Talk about that layer of your character. And I will say, speaking to Robert Jordan in 94, that he said a little bit of King Arthur is in Rand, by the way.

Josha: That’s nice.

Marcus: Yeah. Just a little bit.

Josha: The Messias, yeah.

Marcus: Yeah, I think in terms of that baggage or what they kind of take with them, I think, for Perrin, especially, from from the start he has a particular relationship with violence, and it’s kind of brought to him in quite an ugly way early on, and I think it’s something that he carries throughout season one. It’s something that kind of is on his mind a lot and something that he’s very deeply affected by, and he has a lot of feelings of guilt surrounding [him]. Violence seems to keep on coming into his world, and he has realize, does he embrace kind of this animalistic side to him or is there a civilized way that he can maneuver through this world that Moiraine’s kind of dragged them into.

Josha: I think with Rand throughout this story, you know, this bag will become heavier and heavier; more weight is being added throughout this story. And I hope you will see what it costs not only Rand, but of all these characters, and I guess, all of these characters have to sacrifice bits and pieces of who they were in order to do what’s right. But, at first, it starts in the Two Rivers, and, yeah, that’s where we have to start first, before we go on this great arc.

Question: There’re a lot of fantasy adaptations coming out right now, as streamers build up their libraries and are looking for things to jump on to, and that means there’s a lot of options for people to watch fantasy now. So, if I’m someone coming from this, and I watched three back to back trailers for fantasy shows with sweeping vistas and gorgeous magic and special effects, what makes The Wheel of Time stand out for that person? Why is this one special, both for you, and in fantasy in general?

Josha: The Wheel of Time is such a rich world with so much complexity, and the books are known for that. It’s not for no reason that ninety million copies have been sold. Apparently, there’s something in it that people can relate to that touches them. And what that is, for me, is besides that in this world of The Wheel of Time, women are the ones who are in control, if men use the One Power, they abuse it, or the fact that it’s not simply black and white, good against evil. It’s all shades of grey in between. Now, for me, what really makes this stand out, is the characters and that you start to care for these characters and that they’re real. They’re no heroes; they have to go on this mission they never sign up for. You can see their failures and their fears and what it costs of them, the sacrifice they have to make. I think that’s what makes The Wheel of Time special, for me, at least.

Marcus: And that global cast, man, I think being able to see that they’ve been able to cast people from every corner of the planet, really experienced actors, new actors, exciting actors who’ve worked in all different fields coming together on one show like this, I think is very, very special and I think reflects how expansive the world is in the books as well, which is really, really cool.

Question: The action scenes are so amazing in the series; talk about a scene that was the most difficult for you to achieve and what it was and how you dealt with that kind of scale and size of the production that you’ve got here and how you dealt with those issues.

Marcus: In terms of like, I mean, there wasn’t too too many bumps in the road, but I think, that first episode, it was just so new to us, everything. So, I think to have a first episode where you’ve got a lot of stunts, and all the characters are involved, you’ve got a lot of background artists, supporting artists, a whole village needs to be built, and then you’ve got a big action scene on top of that, as well. And you’re very new to finding out these characters, and you’ve got very key moments that kind of lay the foundations for these characters. It’s a weird kind of amalgamation of a lot of things happening at once. So, I think that was quite daunting, but I think it was probably the best way to start the show, because it kind of set the tone…The audience will realize in that first episode that it all kind of kicks off quite quickly. And I think for actors on that film in that first episode, it meant that we had to get a grasp of those characters, their trajectories, and what they’re really like, in the books as well.

Question: You, Josha?

Josha: I couldn’t have said it better.

Here is the video!

Interview Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com

MORE INFO:

Josha Stradowski is a Dutch actor. He is known for his role as ‘Joris’ in the Dutch film Gewoon Vrienden (2018) and ‘Rand Al’ Thor’ the American television series The Wheel of Time (2021). He started acting as a kid in musicals like The Sound of Music and Ciske de Rat and began playing roles in television as a teenager. He graduated from the AHK theatre school in Amsterdam and worked on multiple plays such as Oedipus directed by Robert Icke at Ivo van Hove’s theater company ITA in 2018. He recently completed filming on a new series. He also played the lead role in an indie feature film, Just Friends, for which he and the film received a number of awards on the international film festival circuit.

Marcus Rutherford is an actor, known for County Lines (2019) and Obey (2018). He is an English actor who will portray Perrin Aybara on Prime Video‘s The Wheel of Time. Rutherford’s casting was announced on August 14, 2019.[1] Showrunner Rafe Judkins stated his character was the hardest to write.

"Wheel of Time" posterThe Wheel of Time is one of the most popular and enduring fantasy series of all time, with more than 90 million books sold. Set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it, the story follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.

Based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy novels, The Wheel of Time was adapted for television by executive producer/showrunner Rafe Judkins. Larry Mondragon and Rick Selvage of iwot productions, Mike Weber, Ted Field of Radar Pictures, Darren Lemke, Marigo Kehoe, and Uta Briesewitz will also serve as executive producers, with Briesewitz set to direct the first two episodes. Rosamund Pike will serve as producer and Harriet McDougal and Brandon Sanderson as consulting producers. The Wheel of Time is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television.

Executive Produced By

Rafe Judkins, Larry Mondragon, Rick Selvage, Mike Weber, Ted Field, Darren Lemke, Marigo Kehoe, and Uta Briesewitz

Developed By

Rafe Judkins

Directed By

Uta Briesewitz, Wayne Che Yip, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Ciaran Donnelly

Produced By

Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television

Cast

Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Josha Stradowski, Madeleine Madden, Marcus Rutherford, Zoë Robins, Barney Harris

  • Credits

    Directed By
    Uta Briesewitz, Wayne Che Yip, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Ciaran Donnelly

    Produced By
    Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television

    Cast
    Rosamund Pike – Moiraine Damodred
    Daniel Henney – Lan Mondragoran
    Josha Stradowski – Rand al’Thor
    Madeleine Madden – Egwene al’Vere
    Marcus Rutherford – Perrin Aybara
    ZoĂ« Robins – Nynaeve al’Meara
    Barney Harris – Mat Cauthon

    Executive Producers
    Rafe Judkins, Larry Mondragon, Rick Selvage, Mike Weber, Ted Field, Darren Lemke, Marigo Kehoe, and Uta Briesewitz

    Developed By
    Rafe Judkins

Prime Video Debuts Official Trailer for The Wheel of Time ​​With First-of-Its-Kind YouTube Experience

Oct 27, 2021

Utilizing YouTube’s 360 player and spatial audio surround sound, The Wheel of Time trailer offers fans an immersive experience that allows them to view the traditional 2-D trailer in a virtual, three-dimensional “wheel”

The world-building fantasy series from Sony Pictures Television will premiere globally
November 19 on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide

Watch Official Trailer HERE

CULVER CITY, California—October 27, 2021—Prime Video today released the official trailer for upcoming fantasy series The Wheel of Time, based on the best-selling book series. The first three episodes of Season One will premiere Friday, November 19, with new episodes available each Friday following, leading up to the season finale on December 24.

Utilizing YouTube’s 360 player and spatial audio surround sound, Prime Video debuted the official trailer for The Wheel of Time in a first-of-its-kind immersive experience that allows fans to view the traditional 2-D trailer in a virtual three-dimensional “wheel.” When fans arrive at the YouTube page to watch the trailer, a quick scan to the left or right will reveal there is much more to experience. To the left of the screen, they’ll discover Moiraine’s (Rosamund Pike) powerful “One Power” channeling—featuring her voice and faces, artifacts, and symbols hidden amongst the energy weaves. On the right, the corruption of the Dark One represents a dissention into madness. The trailer also features spatial audio that gives fans a more immersive experience as objects appear from either side of the “wheel.” The result is a unique utilization of existing technology that creates a trailer experience unlike any other—one that offers multiple viewing experiences for fans of the series.

About The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time is one of the most popular and enduring fantasy series of all time, with more than 90 million books sold. Set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it, the story follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.

Based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy novels, The Wheel of Time was adapted for television by executive producer/showrunner Rafe Judkins. Larry Mondragon and Rick Selvage of iwot productions, Mike Weber, Ted Field of Radar Pictures, Darren Lemke, Marigo Kehoe, and Uta Briesewitz will also serve as executive producers, with Briesewitz set to direct the first two episodes. Rosamund Pike will serve as producer and Harriet McDougal and Brandon Sanderson as consulting producers. The Wheel of Time is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television.

About Prime Video
Prime Video offers customers a vast collection of movies, series, and sports—all available to watch on hundreds of compatible devices.

  • Included with Prime Video: Watch movies, series and sports, including Thursday Night Football. Enjoy series and films including the newly released Cinderella, the Emmy Award-nominated satirical superhero drama The Boys, limited series The Underground Railroad, and the films Sylvie’s Love and Uncle Frank; and the smash hits Coming 2 America, Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, The Tomorrow War, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Upload, and My Spy, as well as Emmy- and Golden Globe-winners Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Golden Globe-winner Small Axe, Academy Award-winner Sound of Metal, Golden Globe-winner and Academy Award-nominee Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and Academy Award-nominees One Night in Miami… and Time. Prime members also get access to licensed content.
  • Prime Video Channels: Prime members can add channels like discovery+, Paramount+, BET+, EPIX, Noggin, NBA League Pass, MLB.TV, STARZ, and SHOWTIME—no extra apps to download, and no cable required. Only pay for the ones you want, and cancel anytime.  View the full list of channels available at amazon.com/channels.
  • Rent or Buy: Enjoy new-release movies to rent or buy, entire seasons of current TV shows available to buy, and special deals just for Prime members.
  • Instant access: Watch at home or on the go with your choice of hundreds of compatible devices. Stream from the web or using the Prime Video app on your smartphone, tablet, set-top box, game console, or select smart TV.
  • Enhanced experiences: Make the most of every viewing with 4K Ultra HD- and High Dynamic Range (HDR)-compatible content. Go behind the scenes of your favorite movies and TV shows with exclusive X-Ray access, powered by IMDb. Save it for later with select mobile downloads for offline viewing.

Prime Video is just one of many shopping and entertainment benefits included with a Prime membership, along with fast, free shipping on millions of Prime-eligible items at Amazon.com, unlimited photo storage, exclusive deals and discounts, and access to ad-free music and Kindle eBooks. To sign up or start a 30-day free trial of Prime, visit: amazon.com/prime.

About Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is one of the television industry’s leading content providers, producing, distributing and carrying programming worldwide in every genre and for every platform. In addition to managing one of the industry’s largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, SPT is home to a thriving global content business, operating a robust portfolio of wholly-owned and joint-venture production companies across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, as well as linear and digital channels around the world. SPT is a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation.

Social Handles
Instagram: @TheWheelOfTime
Twitter: @TheWheelOfTime
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWheelOfTimeOfficial

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Josha Stradowski and Marcus Rutherford of "Wheel of Time" on Amazon