Taylor Napier
Taylor Napier stars as Maksim in season 3 of the hit Wheel of Time streaming now on Prime video. We were so happy to catch up with him in NYC on a recent press visit. He was down to adventure to our studio in Brooklyn via the subway where we snapped a few candids spotlighting his personal style, warm open spirit, superb head of blonde hair and muscles for days! Scroll on down as Taylor shares his thoughts on why Wheel appeals to such a wide range of viewers, his character Maksim, fierce female costars including Rosamund Pike and Shohreh Aghdashloo (a Bare gal!) advice for up & coming actors, fitness routine, dream meal and his mom as one of his bare essentials. gotta love that!
the bare magazine: how are you enjoying the response to the new season?! do you feel it is doing a good job satisfying your amazing fandom?
Taylor Napier: Absolutely! I think we've knocked it out of the park this season, and from the reaction I've seen- it seems like our fans agree. Our show has had such a bumpy journey with everything that's been happening in the world around it, from Covid to the strikes. This is the first season where it feels like we actually got to make the show we set out to make- and I think you can feel the difference in quality. That's not to say that I think the first two seasons aren't good- I think they are amazing- but this is the first season where it doesn't feel like compromises had to be made in order to just get the thing on the air.
bare: what do you think makes the show such a hit and resonate with audiences?
TN: I think there's a little something in it for everyone- we love to hit the high fantasy beats. We love to provide an hour ( or longer if you are binging) a week where you can escape our world and dive into this crazy ass magical place. There are obviously a ton of fantasy shows out there, but I feel as though a ton of them shy away from their roots and try to basically just make the show Succession with Dragons- which is cool and obviously people love- but it takes the joy, the action and the adventure out of it a bit. Give me a woman shooting fire out of her hands any day of the week. We don't shy away from fun.
That being said, I think our show appeals to people who don't like fantasy as well, because we root everything in our characters first and foremost. We like to say we are an ensemble character drama wrapped in Sci-Fi/Fantasy packaging, and because we have so many characters, there's someone for everyone to love and love to hate.
bare: describe some aspects of your character that make him a joy and a challenge to play. what have you learned from him?
TN: Maksim is a joy to play because he wears his heart on his sleeve. He's just so authentically himself- and doesn't really give a shit about what anyone else thinks. He's not going to play by anyone else's rules but his own- which brings some conflict for him given his position. That being said, it's not an anger or “rebel without a cause” type of authenticity. He's incredibly kind as well.
It's a tricky role because of the technical aspects- for an actor being on The Wheel of Time is a bit like doing a somersault with your hands tied behind your back- basically impossible. I'm putting on an accent while doing stunts on horseback, while also trying to, you know... act and make the character as grounded and believable as possible. We aren't just people sitting in rooms emoting. It's a lot of work.
I think with Maksim I've taken away a bit of his confidence- at least I hope I have. Just trying to feel as at ease with who I am as he feels with who he is.
bare: your fierce/strong female costars are inspiring! tell us a bit about the chemistry and support between you and your cast mates.
TN: We have so so so so so so so so many talented women on our cast that I can't name them all, it would take up seven issues of your magazine.
It's honestly a joy to be able to watch all of them work. Obviously there's Rosamund Pike, who has really transformed into just the absolutely perfect leader of this cast. She is insanely intelligent, dedicated and loves the work. As an actor- you couldn't ask for a better number 1.
Outside of Rosamund you have people like Sophie Okonedo, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Meerya Syal and so many more veteran actresses from across the globe. Any actor would kill to have their careers and their awards. It's also been a joy to watch our younger cast grow as actors over the past six years making this show. They are knocking it out of the park.
And then there's Priyanka Bose and Kate Fleetwood - who have become two of my incredibly close friends- to watch both of them work, and be in scenes with them- it's just such an extraordinary thing. I think they are both geniuses- and if this show does nothing but raises their profile and get them more work then I think it's been a huge success.
There's a bond within our cast ( and to be honest our entire crew) that can only really come when everyone absolutely loves what they do. There's not a person within our group that doesn't try to bring their absolute best every time they show up on set. There's something about Wheel that feels special in that way- it's a hard show to make- but it feels like we are in the trenches fighting this monster together rather than fighting amongst ourselves.
bare: any advice/wisdom you could share with up and coming actors that you wish someone would've given you?
TN: Don't listen to any else's advice. Everyone's way into this profession is different. You have to find how this works for you. How you can feel confident going into rooms. Remember it's a collaboration- not a dictatorship- either on your side or the side of the producers, agents, director, etc. Don't let anyone make you feel small and don't make anyone feel small. Don't ever base your self worth on what anyone has to say- because someone will always try to break you down no matter how far you get. In fact. it only gets worse.
Find something else you love to do, some other reason to live and be creative, because even the most successful, busiest actors find themselves with loads of downtime.
bare: would you change your body, your hair, for a role if need be?
TN: For sure. That's almost part of the fun- though I've worked so hard in the gym the past few years for this character that it would be sad to watch it all go away.
I do sometimes think, especially with younger male actors, the body transformation thing gets overhyped and becomes this competitive bullshit about who is more INSANE and will go to ANY LENGTH to portray the role. Starving yourself or force feeding yourself does not an actor make.
bare: speaking of your body - what is your usual fitness and diet regime to maintain such muscle perfection?
TN: I'm so boring. I just go to the gym a lot. It's my therapy, my way to clear my head. I lift a lot of weights, do about 20-30 minutes of cardio after, about 5-6 days a week. I eat mostly extremely high protein meals- grilled chicken, ground turkey and lean ground beef with some veggies. Sneak in a bit ( okay a lot) of peanut butter.
Once every couple of weeks I'll sneak in a pizza or a curry or some fried chicken, because despite the evidence I do love food — like, love it.
bare: do you cook or do you like dining out? describe your dream meal?
TN: I try to cook two meals, and a couple of snacks a day and then do one meal out. I can grill a pretty mean chicken breast and broccoli at this point.
Right now, and for the past few years, I've been obsessed with Middle Eastern food. Syrian to be exact. There's just something about the smoky yet bright and fresh flavors that really appeal to me. Also, it's not that unhealthy typically so I can eat out without feeling like I've gone way off my diet.
That being said- I spent a ton of time in Spain- so give me some patatas bravas, a vermut and padron peppers and I'm a happy man. Throw in a chuleton or maybe some grilled squid and I'm in heaven.
bare: please list your top 6 Bare essentials
TN:
My Mom
A really nice denim shirt
My AirPods (or some type of headphone/way of listening to music)
Sunglasses
Peanut Butter
Iced Tea- you can take the boy outta the South...
Founder & Editor in Chief - The Bare Magazine
