Zoë Robins

She’s the New Zealand acting luminary starring in one of the world’s biggest television series, The Wheel of Time.

‘Wheel Of Time’ Star Zoë Robins’ Fantasy Role Of A Lifetime

By Dan Ahwa | Viva Magazine March 8 2023

One of the advantages of carving out a career as an actor is the opportunity to live another life — one grounded in reality, and another benefiting from pure fantasy. Either way, it’s a profession unlike most where utter escapism is a pre-requisite.

For Wellington-born actor Zoë Robins, given her body of work so far playing everything from a post-apocalyptic chief priestess in The New Tomorrow (then aged 12) to a kick-ass Power Ranger in Power Rangers: Ninja Steel, the ability to escape through the lens of complex and powerful female characters has in many ways prepared her for her biggest role to date: playing village leader Nynaeve al’Meara in Amazon Prime’s multimillion-dollar high-fantasy series The Wheel of Time.

Adapted from the fantasy novel series by Robert Jordan (with the final three books co-authored by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan’s death in 2007), the television adaptation stars an international ensemble cast including Rosamund Pike (who also serves as producer) in the lead role of Moiraine, a member of the Aes Sedai — a powerful all-female organisation of magic users — who takes five young people under her wing; along with Daniel Henney, Sophie Okenedo, Madeleine Madden, Priyanka Bose and more.

Photo / Amelia Dowd

With over 2500 distinct characters spanning 14 novels over three decades, the ambitious project is single-handedly upending preconceived ideas around the fantasy genre being another medley of hocus-pocus plotlines and mystical woo-woo, but rather focusing on intricately written stories that explore deeper themes such as mentorship, sisterhood and duality — concepts already resonating with audiences since its debut in 2021.

The Baroque and Romanesque architecture of Prague is a long way from the rolling hills of Zoë's hometown of Lower Hutt, Wellington, but these days it’s where she spends most of her working year and toward the end of this month she’ll return to the Czech Republic capital to resume principal filming for season three.

When we connect over Zoom during her off-duty period, she is rested and relaxed. Season two wrapped in April last year, so the joyful disposition of returning to New Zealand to spend quality time with friends, family and her 11-year-old son is written all over her face.

In that time, she also attended a best friend’s wedding in Sydney, scheduling this accompanying fashion shoot before returning to New Zealand, dressed in a wardrobe of the most luxuriously outre pieces of the season. It seems this rising star is adept at the art of living between fantasy and reality.

“It’s surreal,” she says, speaking from her family home in Auckland. “There’s no other way to describe the feeling of being on set, let alone being in a place like Prague. I’ve been on large sets before, but nothing anywhere near this scale. Just the sheer amount of people that are involved — I’m sure there’s a large majority of them I have not met because there are so many people across the board working in the UK and US. It also feels so much bigger than just my own experience of it.”

At a cost of approximately US$10 million per episode (there are eight in the first season — you do the maths), bringing the beloved novels to life is no mean feat, the complex tales threaded by a diverse international cast and crew. Because of the book’s fervent fanbase, fully realising Nynaeve in Zoë's own image required plenty of attention to detail, along with the precarious act of not letting ardent fans down.

“I’ve learnt over the years what best suits me [to get into character], starting with the books of course. But I also found that I had to put the book down in certain moments because filming was vastly different. The best kind of reference to get into her mind has been online because there are so many fans that have made videos and there are all these Reddit threads and blog posts. There’s something about her that I innately understand, including her desire to help others.”

Like all good fantasy roles, it’s a physically demanding one.

“I’ve been lucky enough through this job to do things that I never would’ve thought would be available to me. Things like horse riding and learning how to fight with a knife. There was a day that I was just working out in the stunt gym and the stunt guys who we’re all quite close with now asked if I wanted to learn archery, just because they happened to have all the stuff there. I was like, ‘Yeah sure’. A fantasy set allows us to expand ourselves and test our capabilities in ways that we wouldn’t normally do.”

It’s not only the active roles of those early years that have prepared Zoë for this moment — her training at Long Cloud Youth Theatre Company and Auckland acting school The Actors’ Program are just two examples of how she has been diligently working at her craft during some very formative years. It was at The Actors’ Program where she met then-artistic director Michele Hine, one of New Zealand’s finest theatre actors, who imparted some words of wisdom to the single mother trying to make it in the sometimes unpredictable world of acting.

“She’s like a beacon of light and a constant fountain of wisdom and knowledge, but the one thing that stands out in my mind right now is something about motherhood and the guilt that constantly comes up with chasing your dreams.

“I remember having a moment in class where I was struggling and I was questioning my choice to keep doing what I was doing because the industry isn’t really set up for parents or mothers, let alone single mothers. It’s incredibly long hours and you are required to give so much of yourself. In a roundabout way — and I won’t be able to say it verbatim — but she pretty much gave me permission to accept that at some point my son will understand the sacrifices that I have made. He’ll accept what it meant to take a chance on myself and pursue my dreams, even though it wasn’t necessarily the most conventional path. This is such a gift any parent can give to their kids.”

Photo / Amelia Dowd.

“I think we’ve kind of longed for something like this, particularly with young women,” says Zoë of the way the show has allowed for empowered, and nurturing, lead female roles in a fantasy genre. “It’s refreshing and comforting to see us supporting each other and wanting the best for one another as opposed to being in competition. What I love about The Wheel of Time with regards to gender politics is that they’ve kind of turned it on its head and the power dynamics are shared. These stories were ahead of their time in that way. I like that there are women who have power and can also abuse it, you know what I mean? It’s a really decent mix of a lot of gender dynamics.”

It’s a sisterly support system that extends to real life too — Zoë is good friends with co-star Madeleine Madden, an Aboriginal Australian actor who plays Egwene al’Vere — and both are now promising names redefining what it means to be a young actor of colour, in leading roles created for a colossal global television series.

“What I’ve learnt from Rosamund [Pike] too is what she’s modelled in terms of work ethic and how she is on set and the respect that she gives people. She values her work. She doesn’t mess around and she cares deeply about what she does. I’m sure she put a lot of thought into signing up for this because it’s a big commitment.”

Zoë understands the power of clothing, hair and adornment to create a sense of identity. For Nynaeve, she worked closely with The Wheel of Time’s costume, hair and makeup departments to reimagine the character’s physical identity.

“The braids are so important to Nynaeve and, for me, it was the first time that I had the opportunity to be in those discussions at the beginning of formulating the aesthetic of a character, which was really exciting. Obviously, there had to be discussions in terms of how we were going to do a braid with my type of hair and how this would suit me. It was definitely a collaborative experience, in fact, I may have suggested the twists in her hair,” she recalls.

In reality, Zoë's own personal style is developing too. At the show’s London premiere in 2021, she made her own debutante debut in a silk, lime green Valentino gown. For many young actors attending events, award shows and premieres, wearing a gown from an esteemed fashion house is like a blue tick on Instagram — a seal of approval that puts you in an entirely different league, a short-cut in the neverending politics that come with the niche world of red-carpet dressing.

“Nine times out of 10 you’ll find me in sweatpants,” she says laughing. “So to be honest, those moments I love, because that’s when I can fully express myself and be bold. I was second-guessing that choice for so long, but I’m so glad that I went down that route because it’s something I obviously wouldn’t wear every day. The opportunity came via my LA agent and I ended up working with a stylist, Zadrian Smith. I felt amazing in it and I think that’s what I’ve clocked with clothes. It’s like putting on a costume for the show, fashion helps inform your character. With Nynaeve, for example, once I had everything together down to her boots, it really did help me figure out how she walks and how she holds herself.”

For a complex role like Nynaeve, clothing only adds to the intensity and immersive nature of it all.

Some days, Zoë admits, it can be hard to shake her off when the director says cut. “I thought I was an actor who could shed them at the end of the day,” she says, looking up at the ceiling.

“But I don’t think that’s true, based on some of the interactions I’ve had with people, where I’m suddenly thinking to myself, ‘Oh, that’s such a Nynaeve thing of me to do.’ When I’m home, it’s a completely different life, so it does take time to transition back into home life and shed Nynaeve.”

So are there parts of Nynaeve al’Meara’s personality that Zoë wished she inhabited? “I admire her boldness in terms of saying what she thinks and feels. She definitely wears her heart on her sleeve and she also struggles with that. But I think that is something that I’m trying to move towards in my life; being unabashed with my thoughts and opinions as opposed to biting my tongue.

“Obviously there’s a time and place,” she says, laughing, “but, she’s so unapologetically her, which I really admire. It sounds cheesy, but I do think she’s always going to be there. I don’t think I could just put her away. She’s going to stick around for a bit — and I don’t really mind.”

Like all good actors, it’s often hard to separate the artist from the art, and it’s unsurprising there are characteristics of Nynaeve that have left a strong impression on Zoë — including a willful determination to commit to acting as a profession.

Her sheer focus is one clue that Zoë's rise to the top has only just begun, as she makes her way to becoming one of this country’s top acting exports.

As Nyneve makes clear to Moiraine and the group of Aes Sedai community in season one, episode five: “If I’m as powerful as you say I am, maybe it’s you, Aes Sedai, who shouldn’t underestimate me.”