Before the sword is raised, before the spell is cast–there’s always a choice: strength or softness. What if a hero chose both? Having taken The Wheel of Time fandom by storm with his portrayal of Maksim, actor Taylor Napier has become a beloved figure in the world of high fantasy television. The Prime Video epic–adapted from Robert Jordan’s cult-followed novels—has captured audiences with its sprawling mythology, rich character dynamics, and emotional stakes. Napier’s easygoing, grounded performance brings something rare to the genre: a warrior who leads with empathy as much as strength.

Born in Tennessee and now based in Los Angeles, Napier found his way into acting through a winding path. After early roles in Crazy, Rich, and Deadly, Hanna, and the BBC’s Wreck, it was his breakout turn as Maksim that solidified his place in the fantasy canon. His character–one-third of a polyamorous triad with Aes Sedai Alanna Mosvani (Priyanka Bose) and fellow Warder Ihvon (Emmanuel Imani)—quickly became a fan-favorite, particularly within queer communities, for the relationship’s honest, poignant portrayal. Their bond, both tender and fierce, stands in stark contrast to more traditional depictions of romance and masculinity in the genre.

This season, Maksim’s arc takes on a deeper intensity as his relationship is tested by grief, shifting loyalties, and loss. Napier leans into the nuance with subtlety and heart, allowing the role to grow from steady support to center of gravity. It’s a performance that feels both mythic and deeply human. In a show filled with magic, monsters, and prophecy, it’s the raw, interpersonal threads that resonate with most—and Maksim’s storyline has become one of the most talked-about arcs of the season.

But beyond the show’s fantasy landscape, Napier’s real-life journey—from grieving son to artist rediscovering his craft–adds even more depth to his performance. Reflecting on the third season of The Wheel of Time, we caught up with the actor to discuss his artistic journey, the power of vulnerability, and what it means to bring emotional complexity to a genre often defined by stoicism and steel.

You studied acting at Emerson College and then attended the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London—did pursuing acting professionally always feel like a natural part of your journey, or was there a specific moment you decided to commit to this?

Honestly, I've tried to avoid it, if anything. When I first graduated from Emerson, I had no contacts in the industry, but moved to LA through an internship I managed to secure in reality television. I did that for about three years, and then my father passed away–suddenly and unexpectedly. He was quite young, and it made me reevaluate what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I took a year to teach English in Spain, just to regroup while also having a cultural experience. I missed acting so much, so I decided to give it another go by going to grad school. I guess in many ways that was the moment I recommitted to it, so it may be both. I joke it was something I just couldn't escape from no matter how hard I tried. Every time I tried to get out, it just pulled me back in.

While developing yourself as an emerging actor, was there a piece of advice you received or a learning experience you had that you’ve carried with you through all your projects?
No, haha. I wish there was some magical piece of advice that unlocked everything and that made [one’s] career suddenly fall into place and make sense. I think the thing for me has always been having confidence or trying to have confidence in myself as a performer. You are obviously rejected a ton in this industry, it's no secret. No one hides from you, and you know it yourself. But the only trick I've learned is to stop seeking validation from anyone outside of yourself, as hard as it is (and trust me…it's damn hard). One person's Oscar winner is the other's Razzie winner. Acting is an art—it's all subjective. So like what you do, and tell everyone else to fuck off in the nicest way possible. I'm still working on that.

With The Wheel of Time being such an expansive world, production took years to ensure audiences felt fully immersed in their universe—how did you keep yourself grounded and in touch with your hobbies and interests while working in such a fantastical environment?  

One of the things that's interesting about filming Wheel is just how big it is. There are so many people who work on the show, and when we are up in Prague, it becomes this sort of magical, and very large, summer and winter camp. And because so much detail is paid to every little inch of the show. Every piece of it is thought out and then thought out again. It gives the actors quite a bit of downtime, especially if you don't happen to be in one of the action set pieces for that episode. Those require a ton of rehearsal and just so much hard work. I'm not sure if anyone outside of those on the show grasp what an endeavor those can be.

That being said, I've picked up a ton of hobbies! Horseback riding, photography, bouldering. Wheel has been an incredible gift that way. I stay fit, try to maintain whatever routine I'm running in the real world at the same time as living in this fantasy bubble.

In the show, you play a warder that engages in a polyamorous relationship with another warder and an Aes Sedai. Did you research polyamory or polyamorous couples in preparation for the role, and are there things you learned about communication and connection within these relationships that ultimately informed your character?

It's funny, when we started this back in 2019, I don't think polyamory was quite as much in the zeitgeist as is now, and I really didn't know anyone who had been in such a relationship, but as the years have gone on more and more of my friends have tried or been in something similar. 

One of the things I picked up quite quickly is that these relationships aren't totally different from those between two people. They often live and die based on the same issues, or breaches of trust. Obviously, having multiple partners in a relationship brings in a multitude of different perspectives and loves and it can take more managing, but I think all of us just want to be treated with respect and not lied to.

In my opinion, [this] is what makes Maksim, Alanna, and Ihvon the most functional relationship on the show the first two seasons. There's complete honesty and respect, even though they have vastly different positions of power within The White Tower. It's only in this season that we see what happens when that honesty and respect start to erode that we see the cracks in their foundation. Mix that in with grief and you've got an incredibly rich storyline as an actor and for an audience. You are rooting for them, you understand and sympathize with them, and they are both right and wrong. 

Warders also tend to feel emotions in a more amplified and intense manner than others. As both a performer and individual, are there ways you try to stay in touch with your emotions and healthily channel emotional intensity into your performances?‍

Music. Music is such a huge tool for me to get into an emotional space. Music can focus you and invoke a memory or smell. From levity to having a breakdown—with my headphones on and some curated playlists, I can pretty much get myself into whatever state of being I need to be. It also allows me to enter that space without having to go into my emotional storehouse and pillage it, which makes it easier to leave it on set. 

‍With that being said, I've definitely been accused of being too sensitive at times in my life. Which is probably true, so it's been helpful to play a character that feels so intensely. And God does Maksim feel everything—which I personally think is great. Having this warrior character who isn't afraid to cry and express himself but also cut a monster's head off if need be is pretty cool. Everyone's seen the stoic, emotionless warrior type who just grunts in these fantasy shows before, so this allows us to do something different.

When playing a character like that, it's more important than ever that you figure out why they are feeling that way, and make sure they are striving or running away from something. You ground the emotion in some sort of goal or objective, even if the character doesn't know it or understand it, otherwise it comes off like emotion for emotion's sake. ‍

Even though The Wheel of Time takes place universes away from our own, the series shares very human stories of discovery and resilience. Are there any aspects of your character or the world that you personally connect with on a deeper level?

I think the thing that sets Wheel apart from our world is that all of our hero characters never give up their sense of hope. Bad things happen to all of these people, but they never get up hoping for a better life for themselves or for their loved ones. There's a beautiful monologue made by a pacifist character in Season 1. When asked why she continues to believe in pacifism in spite of all of the violence in the world—violence that won't end in her lifetime—she says that true peace requires everyone to stop fighting. She says that maybe if she keeps hoping and believing, her grandchildren will keep hoping and believing; and that one day, maybe, her daughter [who was murdered] will be reincarnated into a world of total peace, and she will be able to live out her life. That thread of hope runs through all of our characters, and I think it's a really important message for today—and really, always.

Photographed by David Reiss

Styled by Anastasia Busch

Written by Kayla Hardy and Maria Berkowitz

Grooming: Alexis Day