Why was Mat Cauthon recast in The Wheel of Time Season 2? Speculations explored

The Wheel of Time is known for its stellar performances by cast members, who have all made their special places in the audience’s hearts. However, fans noticed a major change in the second season when the actor playing Mat Cauthon was replaced.

Mat is a gambler from Emond's Field, played by actor Barney Harris in the first season. However, even before the series premiered in 2021, it was reported that Barney would not be reprising his role and would be replaced by Dónal Finn in the second season.

While neither the series creators nor the actors have commented on why Barney chose to leave the show, it was reported that the first season’s production was stopped for a few months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When the filming resumed, Barney did not return to the show.

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Why was Barney Harris replaced in The Wheel of Time Season 2?

Barney Harris’ casting in The Wheel of Time was announced in August 2019, along with other main cast members. The shoot for the first season began the following month but was suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. By that time, Barney had already shot for six episodes of the first season.

The filming then restarted a year later, in April 2021. However, Barney did not return for the shoot this time. While the actor did not release any statement about his departure from the project, it has been reported that he chose to leave owing to mental health concerns.

In September of the same year, Deadline reported that Barney was replaced by Irish actor Dónal Finn in the second season. The show debuted on Prime Video in November 2021, and Barney was played by Mat Cauthon in the first six episodes.

However, Mat remained absent from episode 7 despite being an integral part of the story, as the actor had not shot for that portion. In the final episode, too, the creators had to use archival footage to include Mat in the narrative.

The Wheel of Time season 2 premiered in September 2023, with Dónal Finn debuting as Mat Cauthon, and the character once again became a regular in the show. Before the fantasy drama, Dónal had appeared in the shows SAS: Rogue Heroes, Cursed, and The Witcher.

On the other hand, Barney was earlier seen in the shows The Hollow Crown and Clique. Since his exit from The Wheel of Time, the actor has only starred in one project: the 2024 British horror film The Severed Sun.

Ahead of playing Mat in The Wheel of Time season 2, Dónal had an interview with TVLine, where he talked about how he felt about replacing Barney in the show. Highlighting how playing an already established character in a big show could be overwhelming, the actor said:

“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.”

Dónal added that he went ahead with the series as he knew fans loved the character of Mat:

“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.”

Ever since his first appearance on the show, Dónal has earned praise from fans for his impressive performance as Mat. The actor continues to be a part of the series and reprises his role in the recently released third season.

The Wheel of Time is available to stream on Prime Video.