The Wheel of Time's Mat Cauthon recast explained: Who is actor Dónal Finn?

But, throughout the seasons, Mat has undergone a recast, after Barney Harris first played the role in season 1, before exiting the show before season 2.

So, if you're a little confused the character's appearance, here's everything you need to know about that re-casting, which saw Harris replaced by new actor Dónal Finn.

What happened with Mat Cauthon's recasting in The Wheel of Time?

Harris departed The Wheel of Time during season 1 but an official reason has not been given.

He filmed the first six episodes of the show before production was shut down amid the Covid-19 pandemic. When production resumed, he did not return.

His exit from the show meant he was absent from one of the later episodes and, in the final episode, only old footage of the character could be used.

For season 2, he was replaced by Finn, with writer Rafe Judkins promising the transition would be "seamless".

"It’s always hard but we’re really lucky that Barney is so great in the first season; I love him in the show," he told told Deadline in 2021.

"And Dónal Finn, who is playing Mat in Season 2, is amazing. I have seen him up on set doing his scenes now and they’re incredible and they fully capture the character. I think it’s a testament to this character and how great the character of Mat is that it really feels seamless between the two actors."

Finn has since opened up about the experience of replacing Harris, telling TV Line: "I kind of put my head in the sand, because I knew that if I allowed myself some time to stop and think about it, I could get very overwhelmed.

"But ultimately, knowing how much the fans love this character motivated me to make sure that I was starting it in the right place, and that process involved kind of gathering up all of the written work of season 1 and taking all those scripts and mining them to create a backstory for Mat."

Harris has not publicly commented on the re-casting.

Who is Mat Cauthon actor Dónal Finn?

Mat Cauthon is played by Dónal Finn from season 2 onwards – and he returns for season 3.

He's no stranger to the world of fantasy, having appeared in The Witcher, and the film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Finn has also appeared in TV series like How to Build a Girl and SAS: Rogue Heroes.

The upcoming season will see Mat speak the Old Tongue, with Finn telling io9 exactly what went on to make that happen.

“I have so much admiration for the team that worked behind the scenes to make a reality,” he said. “One of them being Naomi Joy Todd, who is our dialect coach for accent work.

"She’s also deeply committed to making something real in the language. Just understanding, like, this is the root of the verb – so if you’re stressing what you’re going to do in this new language, that this is the kernel of the sentence. Or, the influences of sound: what accents [that] exist in our worlds would have brought us closer to the sound of that fictional place."

He continued. "There’s elements of Russian and Bulgarian, kind of, in the tone of it. So listening to that and then listening to that language in practice, but then using something that is completely new—the detail, the amount of commitment to make that feel real [was impressive]."

Who is Mat Cauthon season 1 actor Barney Harris?

Barney Harris played Mat Cauthon in season 1.

He had previously appeared in series like Clique, and films including Billionaire Boys Club and A Brixton Tale.

The Wheel of Time season 2 is available to stream now on Prime Video with new episodes dropping weekly.

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