"I drank it all"- Robert Strange shares how he prepared himself for the role of Eelfinn in The Wheel of Time season 3

The finale episode of The Wheel of Time season 3, He Who Comes with the Dawn, aired on April 17, 2025. A fantastical creature named Eelfinn was seen in this episode. Fans of Robert Jordan's eponymous book series had long awaited for years to see this crucial moment from the book The Shadow Rising to be brought to life on screen.

Eelfinn is an otherworldly being that grants three dangerous wishes. often with unpredictable consequences. American actor and puppeteer Robert Strange portrayed the character in The Wheel of Time season 3.

In an interview with WoTSeries on April 17, 2025, Strange shared how he prepared for the role by reading parts of the books that featured Eelfinn. He explained:

"I had to jump ahead and read the relevant moments. But in a way, it kind of works because they are these, you know, literally outside of the world outside of the story, I could find the relevant parts and read those. So I absorbed as much as I could. I drank it all in."

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Robert Strange is taking a break from reading The Wheel of Time

Robert Strange revealed that when he first learned he had been cast as the mystical creature in The Wheel of Time season 3, he was determined to read the books. However, he did not have enough time to read all of them, so he read the parts that involved his character. He later stated that he had started reading the books again.

When asked which book he was on, Strange revealed that he was on book seven:

"I’m having a pause while the show is on because I wanted to not have the show on the books at the same time. So I am on a bit of a pause," he further added.

Strange appreciated Jordan’s detail-oriented writing style and noted how certain possibilities and questions were intentionally left to the reader's imagination. He shared that he hoped this series provided answers to some of the lingering questions from the books.

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Robert Strange had no idea of his look as Eelfinn in The Wheel of Time season 3 when he was cast

In the same interview, Robert Strange revealed that he has portrayed creatures and worked with prosthetics for twelve years. He noted that while some of his previous roles were exciting, playing Eelfinn was a different experience. It was due to the use of new techniques to bring the character to life.

When asked whether he knew what his appearance as Eelfinn would be when he was cast, he revealed that he had no idea about it for months.

"I had to wait a long time to find out really what it was going to look like. In fact, I don’t think I found out until like a month or two, a few months before we filmed. I went out to Prague and had some fittings," he stated.

Strange explained that the molds of his entire body and various measurements were taken. It was only after this process that he saw concept art of the character, which he described as "very cool." Until then, his idea about the character's look was based on the descriptions in the books and fan art.

In addition to The Wheel of Time season 3, Robert Strange has also appeared as different characters in the fantasy TV series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. In season 2 of the show, he played Glûg in six episodes.

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The Wheel of Time season 3 is available to stream on Prime Video.