Natasha O’Keeffe Thinks Lanfear’s Final Line in ‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 2 is “Almost Blasphemous”: “She Can’t Count on the Darkness”

The Wheel of Time Season 2 was one of Prime Video‘s biggest triumphs of the year, not only expanding on the lore established in the show’s first season, but also evolving into top tier fantasy television. One of the best additions to the series was a mysterious innkeeper named Selene (Natasha O’Keeffe) who was soon revealed to be an immortal villainess named Lanfear. Book readers already knew Lanfear as a vain, impetuous figure, obsessed with hero Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) because he’s the reincarnation of her Age of Legends lover Lews Therin Telamon (Alexander Karim). Lanfear’s descent into darkness was infamously spurred on by Lews Therin’s romantic rejection of her. As iconic as the character is in the books, Natasha O’Keeffe transformed her into something more complex. Through her nuanced performance, O’Keeffe revealed the villain’s hidden humanity. Naturally, Lanfear became a runaway fan favorite…

Decider was recently able to talk to Wheel of Time star Natasha O’Keeffe about Lanfear’s biggest Season 2 moments. We explored how the character’s backstory has informed O’Keeffe’s understanding of the character, why she thinks Lanfear is so obsessed with Lews Therin, and which of her incredible costumes inspired her the most. We also dig into Lanfear’s final scene of the season: a showdown with fellow Forsaken Moghedien (Laia Costa) that opens up a whole new diabolical can of worms for The Wheel of Time Season 3. Most of all, though, we got O’Keeffe’s thoughts on a certain fan theory about the weaves Lanfear was weaving around Rand al’Thor in Season 2 Episode 4…right before Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) ruined all the fun..

DECIDER:  First of all, I was a huge fan of your work this season. Are you aware of what a hit Lanfear was with the fandom? And  has it sunk in at all?

NATASHA O’KEEFFE: The main person who alerts me to any good news that pops up is my dad. He’s very sweet. He sends me some messages of little links to things. And I’ve heard some good things from the team and from [Wheel of Time showrunner] Rafe [Judkins] himself, but I’m not on social media. I don’t really search things. Only because I’m worried that I’ll see the one thing — that comment that someone says — that will then throw me out. But, I’ve heard lovely things and that’s really nice. That’s really lovely to hear. Thank you.

I’m curious, because I’m a fan of the books, how much of the character’s backstory did you take time to research? And kind of on that note, what is your interpretation as to why Lanfear is so in love with Lews Therin/Rand al’Thor?

Oh, well, I will admit I had no idea about the books until I… Well, really until I started filming, I would say. Because when we first went up for the auditions for it, we weren’t allowed to know what it was. Well, I wasn’t allowed to know what it was I was going for. My name was not Lanfear on the script that I was reading from. So it was all, you know, a very big mystery to me. So, yeah, I’ve got to know Wheel of Time kind of live and when I’m in it. I have done my backstory reading. And it’s really useful, actually, having people who are such loyal to the books and to the series. I’m getting an education and it’s really useful.

And your other question…why she loves [Lews Therin/Rand al’Thor]… Oh, it’s questionable. There’s not any one thing that came out in the series as an interpretation, I don’t think. I had to take my own lead on that. I think she innately is quite a jealous — has a jealous soul. I mean, I feel like she felt like she gave herself over to Lews Therin and to have that shunned and thrown away isn’t something that she has taken too well. But I mean, a lot of us wouldn’t react in such a fierce and fiery, fiery way. But that’s what makes her all the more interesting, I guess. And that is how she takes it.

There’s a lot of rejection as well, back in the Age of Legends. She was Mierin, I think, if I’m reading that right and, um, things go all a bit wrong there. 

They did. [Laughs]

[Laughs] Just a little bit. Something went a little bit wrong. And I think, yeah, I think she’s just holding on to a lot. I think there’s a lot she’s holding on to. And it’s a good question though, like, why the love? I think she just gets completely focused on the things she wants and you can see that sort of reverberate through her in all sorts of ways. One of them is when she’s in love with someone, she wants to go for something and she doesn’t get what she wants, it’s not good.

One of my favorite scenes of the whole season was the last one between you and Laia Costa. Just to meet Moghedien and see those two characters interact. What did that mean to you? What was it like working with her? 

I wish that I had more with Laia. Immediately — when we were in the room together doing that scene — it just worked. It was the same, I got that with Fares [Fares] as well, with all my Forsaken crew. It’s like, it just works. It’s just the tempos. I guess the looks that we have. Everything feeds into our storylines.

That was really great having that scene with her at the end. And she genuinely was so creepy. Really, really creepy. I hadn’t had any rehearsal, I don’t believe, with her for that scene. So that was the first time I’d ever seen her play Moghedien, what her interpretation of that character was.  And it’s just so much fun when you can see she’s made some brilliant choices. Then you’re like, “Okay, let’s play.” You know, really, it was like playing that day.

And how does Moghedien’s arrival shake Lanfear up? Because her last line — “Light protect you, Rand al’Thor” — is really, like, shocking. It’s shocking for a Forsaken to invoke the light.

Yeah, it’s almost blasphemous, isn’t it, to say such a thing? But that’s how desperate she sees the situation. Moghedien being there and all those seals broken to pieces. The Forsaken are out there loose. It’s a dire situation for both her and Rand. So she can’t count on the Darkness right now. [Laughs] She’s saying a little prayer. Hopefully the light will help him out. [Looks around] “Anyone?” [Laughs] “Rainbow, rainbow? Anyone?”

So Lanfear is kind of a fashion queen. She’s got incredible outfits for whatever she’s doing. Which was your personal favorite? In which one did you feel most like Lanfear at her core?

Straight away, the one that pops into my mind is I was throwing fireballs in it. It was a cloak that had like some sort of metallic striping through it. Yeah, it was like a cloak. Then on top of that with pointed shoulders and slicked back long hair. Oh, my God. I felt like some kind of serpent queen just owning it. It felt really empowering to wear that costume and take on that look.

I was also in the Ways with Moiraine and Lan and Rand in one of the scenes in that outfit. Yeah, it’s really helpful when a costume moves with your body in a way that sort of rounds you and swirls when you walk. You can see why people pay a lot for tailoring because it takes on a character of its own.

The relationship between Rand and Lanfear, it has different permutations. One of the most powerful interplays, I think, is when Rand goes to Tel’aran’rhiod and actually asks her for help. She seems surprised by it and intrigued. What did you think that meant to her that this young man — who is Lews Therin reborn — is asking her for help?

I think it’s exactly what Lanfear wants. For her, that’s just her feeling like she’s nailed it now. We’re on our way. I don’t think she thinks all the shit that goes down is to come. I think that’s her “I’ve got him in my web now.” Yeah, it’s really important to Lanfear, that moment. Because it’s also where she’s in complete control. She’s able to manipulate and, well, do a lot of damage, isn’t she, in the dream world? [Laughs] That’s her place. She owns that world. She thinks she owns it.

One more, very quick question, but I have seen many fan theories about the end of Episode 4 when your character is doing some kind of weave over Rand right before Moiraine comes in. Was there a discussion of what Lanfear was doing to Rand in that moment?

Oh, that’s a really good question. I have to rewind my memory tape, my mind here. Hmm. Yeah, that moment where she, there’s the channeling, she’s told him that, “I’m a monster, too.” [Laughs] I don’t actually recall what our discussion was there, but there’s definitely a sensuality to that moment, but it’s not. I think it’s like the joining forces of the bodies, but with the channeling. It’s like soul magic or something, if that makes any sense? And it’s a revelation, it’s a big thing for her to show him that. So it means everything to her to show him that and she feels he’s ready to accept her for what she is. Because he’s also told her and revealed that side of himself.

I can’t remember in words how that discussion went. But does that make sense? Like it just felt the right thing to do? I think it was like drawing in power and bringing it all around both our bodies. [Laughs] It’s a really hard thing to describe on audio.

I was just very curious because the fan theory is she was trying to bond him as a Warder so they’d be interconnected. 

[Gasps] Oh!

But that’s just a fan theory.

Nice! Oh, I’m sorry if I’ve let down a whole load of fans there, and theories. Because that’s a brilliant theory. I wish that was it. We can keep it like that. Yeah, let’s say that’s what it was.