Why did Mat Cauthon's Barney Harris leave The Wheel of Time? Star's exit, explored 

Amazon Prime Video's fantasy series The Wheel of Time, based on Robert Jordan's series of books of the same name, saw a roadblock when Mat Cauthon's character was suddenly recast in Season 2.

Mat Cauthorn, a powerful ta'veren with Rand al'Thor, is a main protagonist in Jordan's books and a fan-favorite character. Barney Harris, who played the character in Season 1, suddenly departed from Season 1, and Donal Finn was replaced in Season 2.

While Harris has not spoken about his abrupt departure since, it was stated that the actor did not resume Season 1 shooting after the COVID-19 pandemic due to mental health reasons.

More on Barney Harris' departure from The Wheel of Time Season 1 in our story.

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Barney Harris left The Wheel of Time even before Season 1 production wrapped

Barney Harris' recasting in The Wheel of Time Season 1 turned heads because his character Mat Cauthon is an important and beloved character from Jordan's books.

However, fans were disappointed to learn this change for Season 2 because Harris had already established his place as Mat in Season 1. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted Season 1 production, changed the character's trajectory forever.

The principal photography for Season 1 began on September 16, 2019, but was halted after shooting the first six episodes due to the pandemic. In a report from ScreenRant, Harris did not resume shooting for The Wheel of Time Season 1 in March 2021 due to mental health reasons.

This is the reason that Mat remained absent from the entirety of Episode 7, and Harris' old footage was used in the Season 1 finale.

While Harris has not given a statement about his abrupt departure from the fantasy series, showrunner Rafe Judkins addressed Harris's replacement (with Dónal Finn) in Season 2 in an interview with Deadline:

''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.”

Talking about Harris' contribution in Season 1, he added:

“It’s always hard but we’re really lucky that Barney is so great in the first season; I love him in the show,”

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Dónal Finn replaced Barney Harris in The Wheel of Time Season 2

While Harris' abrupt departure forced the writers to change his character's arc in the latter half and the Season 1 finale, Irish actor Dónal Finn was reeled into playing Mat in the sophomore year.

Finn is best known for his work in SAS: Rogue Heroes, The Witcher, and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. He will also play young James Moriarty in Amazon Prime Video's upcoming Young Sherlock.

In an interview with TVLine, Finn discussed the pressure of joining the fantasy series in Season 2 and taking on Mat's character, which Harris earlier played to perfection. Talking about his process to bring Mat to life in Season 2, he said:

''...what’s been massively useful is delving into the books and mining them for the tone of this man and his ethos and his lust for living life in extremes and also, you know, how he interacts with people, objects in the space. That allowed me to get to know him in a new way.''

Finn continues to play the character and reprised it for The Wheel of Time Season 3.

Also Read: The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 6: Release date news

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