Why Wheel Of Time's 'Gory And Evil' Lanfear Audition Won Natasha O'Keeffe Over - Exclusive
One of the splashiest additions to "The Wheel of Time" Season 2 was the introduction of the innkeeper Selene — aka the Forsaken Lanfear. Played by Natasha O'Keeffe, the arrival of Lanfear marks an important moment for the show: It introduces a complex and terrifying female antagonist who is simultaneously infatuated with the primary hero and willing to stop at nothing to have him to herself.
In early December, Looper had a chance to talk to O'Keeffe about her part in Season 2. When we asked her what it was like finding out that she was on the show, her response was that she didn't even know what show she was getting involved in when she originally auditioned.
"When I went for the auditions for 'The Wheel of Time,' I didn't know it was 'The Wheel of Time' at all," the British actress explained. "I didn't know what the project was. There were hints at things, but my character wasn't Lanfear or anything like that. But the scenes that I had to do for the auditions were all pretty gory and very evil — real Lanfear scenarios — and that really intrigued me."
When she was offered the part, it turned out to be one of the most disturbing baddies in the entire Robert Jordan universe — and O'Keeffe delivered on the part in spades. To be clear, when we say "disturbing," we don't mean simply evil. Lanfear is a complicated character, and while she's indisputably a villain, she's also out for herself more than anyone else. In fact, Redditor cjwatson said as much in a discussion about the character, explaining that "Lanfear is fundamentally on Lanfear's side. Not 'good' by any stretch of the imagination, but her goals are her own."
O'Keeffe's character's description was intriguing to her
Lanfear's introduction to the show immediately adds some tones of gray to the story. In Season 1, the evil is fairly straightforward: Ba'alzamon is a blatant evil force haunting the Emond's Field Five. Fades are nightmare fuel in every scenario. Trollocs are as ruthless as they come. Season 2 immediately shifts the tone, kicking off with ethical nuance as Ishamael (Fares Fares) explains to a frightened girl why Trollocs aren't to be feared.
Before long, Lanfear is added to the mix, taking the moral complexity a step further. On the one hand, she's clearly evil, arriving as a blood-covered reincarnated corpse and proceeding to blast heads off with the One Power and ruthlessly destroy whoever gets in her way. At the same time, her clear attachment and devotion to Rand (i.e., the Dragon Reborn, whom she previously loved) adds an unexpected degree of depth to her character — and Natasha O'Keeffe touched on that aspect in our interview. "You get a synopsis," she explained in reference to the initially "unknown" character that she auditioned for. "It's all a summary of what that character and their breakdown entails, and it was intriguing."
An intriguing and anonymous audition, including scenes that were gory and very evil, is par for the course for Robert Jordan's world. It's a sign of more to come as showrunner Rafe Judkins' adaptation gains steam (and intricacy) heading into Season 3.
All Season 2 episodes of "The Wheel of Time" are available to binge now on Prime Video.