With the new season of popular fantasy series The Wheel of Time out now, Wellingtonian Zoë Robins is back on screens. Viva last caught up with her in 2023 as she was preparing to take on the role of Nynaeve, one of the show’s leads. What’s changed since then? She caught up with Tom Rose in Tāmaki Makaurau to talk about exactly that.
As I sat down with a chilled water and a barrel of questions in hand at QT’s Esther restaurant, Zoë Robins appeared remarkably calm on what was the eve of the third-season premiere of the high-budget, high-fantasy series The Wheel of Time.
“I guess I haven’t really grasped the fact that we have millions of viewers,” the Wellington-born actress told Viva.
It’s a show that’s given Zoë a level of visibility she wouldn’t have otherwise had. “It’s meant I’ve been able to audition for some pretty big projects that I don’t think would have come my way without the connections that I’ve made,” she said. “I do feel like it’s ... a stepping stone to the next part of my career.”
Based on Robert Jordan’s 14-book series (Brandon Sanderson co-authored the final three after Jordan’s death in 2007), The Wheel of Time is a Prime Video production that debuted in 2021.
Zoë returns for season three as Nynaeve al’Maera – a village leader whose magic led her to the all-female organisation, the Aes Sedai – and whose personal story of growth continues.
“She’s obviously discovered that she can channel and it’s a gift that she hasn’t asked for, yet she has,” Zoë says. Nynaeve is still “reconciling” with this power and must “learn how to use it” to protect her loved ones. “It’s ultimately a journey of self-acceptance this season.”
Powerful, confident and empathetic, Nynaeve’s personal experiences have taught Zoë “a lot about letting go”. In season one, Nynaeve is “drastically pulled from her idyllic life and her world is turned upside down”, Zoë says. But now, “we see that she can’t really go back to that life ... I resonate with that feeling of being a bit reluctant of change”.
The Wheel of Time is mainly shot in the Czech Republic’s capital, Prague. When they’re done, “I come home to New Zealand, so it’s ... like I live and work in these bubbles.”
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“I’m a little more self-assured in who I am, what type of artist I want to be and the type of art I want to make,” Zoë says while reflecting on her last Viva catch-up. “It’s very easy in this industry to be pulled different directions, but I feel pretty firm in the type of career path that I want to have and the type of work that I’m drawn to.”
The rising star first graced TV screens in The New Tomorrow at 12 years old, deciding two years earlier that she wanted to act professionally. Is a touch of natural ambition behind her drive? “I think so.”
“I believe I was watching Dakota Fanning – we’re at similar ages – and I just remember being in awe of her work, and [her] being allowed to work at that age.”
Having turned that dream of hers into reality, acquiring roles in Power Rangers Ninja Steel and slasher film Black Christmas, Zoë‘s name is now synonymous with one of the world’s most successful fantasy shows.
It’s a flagship series for Amazon with an estimated budget of US$10 million per episode
Zoë and The Wheel of Time crew spent 10 months overseas filming the latest season’s eight episodes.
It’s been the most challenging season yet for the actress. Without spoiling, there was “a lot of physicality required” from her character in the finale, as she discussed being “continuously pushed” outside of her comfort zone during filming.
Meanwhile, working alongside stars like Rosamund Pike and Sophie Okenodo has taught her invaluable lessons for improving her craft.
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Advertise with NZME.“[Rosamund is] always so curious, which I think is such a beautiful trait that she has,” Zoë says. “She’s always questioning, she’s always digging for more answers or information, and I think it’s also a way that she stays excited by what she does.”
Staying grounded
Spending months away in a foreign country has its downsides, especially when you’ve got a kid at home.
The work can be “quite isolating” at times, yet Zoë knew she’d signed up for something big and says it’s helped to keep a clear view amid the enormity of it all. “I’ve been able to stay pretty grounded, just with how we work, and where I’m from as well.”
While “it’s quite powerful to know what you want”, Zoë admits she’s still warming her nerves to other aspects of the job, like interviews and red carpets, but takes hold of their strength to improve every chance she gets.
“[Nerves] can be really helpful. I still feel them in my work, like I still get nervous playing Nynaeve and stepping on the set some days, and I like to think that it means that I really care.”
When dealing with the quick-paced environment on set, Zoë says music helps both to calm her and to conjure emotion when she needs to get into character. But when she needs to completely switch off from the throes of work, “meditation really helps”, as well as avoiding being jolted “out of the world that we’re creating” via the dreadful doomscroll.
With the Czech Republic being landlocked, Zoë misses the freedom of Aotearoa when overseas, having come to appreciate our country’s beauty after stepping away from it for so long. “I didn’t realise just how much I value the coast and the sea and being able to escape and, you know, dip your feet in fresh water.”
Seeing “a lot of beige and grey and brown” while filming during the winter months often invokes a longing for Aotearoa’s lush greenery. And while family and friends are obviously the priority, it’s “Kiwis in general” that she misses being around the most. “We just have a way about us that is so specific to New Zealand.”
When on set, Zoë‘s schedule is “constantly changing” and no two weeks look the same: “It’s like a completely different life that I lead here and over there.” With myriad storylines and characters needed to be shot each season, though, she’s grateful to have small moments when she can slip home during filming or have her family fly out to visit.
Back home, a world new and old
Returning to Aotearoa last year, Zoë joined the Auckland Theatre Company in its production of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect – her first theatre performance since 2014. With near-nightly shows over several weeks, the experience was “incredibly nerve-racking” yet creatively liberating.
“I’ve gotten so used to working in one way with this show and with this character ... then to work in a completely different medium and the space for theatre where it’s live – it was a thrill."
The first three episodes of The Wheel of Time‘s third season premiered on March 13, and Zoë celebrated by watching the new episodes with her family. While they await Amazon’s call as to whether a fourth season will be approved in the coming weeks, she’s enjoying “laying low and enjoying downtime”.
And while home, she’d “like to be more of a tourist” in Aotearoa. “I did this when I was a lot younger ... but I want to do the Abel Tasman again. I haven’t gone to the South Island in a really long time,” Zoë says. “We have so much to offer here, so I really want to make the most of it.”
The first three episodes of The Wheel of Time season three premiered on March 13 on Prime Video, with new episodes out weekly.
Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.
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