In Amazon’s adaptation of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time books, Josha Stradowski (who plays Rand) had to figure out how to portray a male channeler
Rand al’Thor is a singular figure in the Wheel of Time series: Though there are other men who try their hand at channeling, Rand’s prophetic role as the Dragon Reborn means he’s the sole man who’s able to use magic effectively (or, at least, without eventually being driven mad).
That also puts Josha Stradowski, the actor who plays Rand on Prime Video’s Wheel of Time show, in a unique position: In a show full of women channelers, Rand is the only male channeler with any real longevity on the series. Season 3 marks a big change for him, traveling with Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and more eager to accept his role as the Dragon Reborn — and, with it, the burden of learning channeling.
But as the third episode shows, the truth is — for as much as she is willing to guide him — Moiraine could never have the same relationship with channeling that Rand does. While she says she understands the “thirst” he feels, his description pushes deeper; for him it’s not just “dying of thirst” and coming upon a pond where “water tastes like life itself” — it’s gorging on a sweet poison that leaves him bitter and constantly threatens to pull him under.
