Taylor Napier: “If I can make someone laugh and cry in the same scene, I’ve done my job well”

With ‘The Wheel of Time’ season three streaming, Taylor Napier shares with Xmag his passion for acting and travelling.

If there’s one fantasy series that’s making waves right now, it’s ‘The Wheel of Time’. The popular show, based on Robert Jordan’s books, premiered its third season on Amazon on 13 March, and Taylor Napier, who plays Maksim, gives us the details: “This season, we’ve taken everything to the next level. The action is insane—so many battles, so much magic, and such a spectacle that people are going to love it. There’s destruction, chaos, blood… everything you’d expect and more.”

Beyond the action, Maksim’s polyamorous relationship will also take a big step forward this season, and Taylor tells us what it’s been like to explore this dynamic within the fantasy genre: “What’s interesting about ‘The Wheel of Time’ is that any kind of non-traditional relationship isn’t treated as something out of the ordinary. But it was fascinating to explore what that means in this context. We had to understand the differences from a polyamorous relationship in our own world, avoid projecting our own experiences onto it, and instead embrace it with freedom.”

Though Taylor thoroughly enjoys playing Maksim, he wouldn’t think twice if offered another role: “I’d love to play one of the characters who can channel magic. Being the good guy is great, but playing the villain is always more fun. Ishamael, who appeared last season, was an incredible character, and this season, Laia Costa does such a brilliant job with her villainous role that I feel like stealing it from her,” he laughs.

Beyond ‘The Wheel of Time’ , the American actor is also known for ‘Atacama’, the short film he wrote, produced, and starred in alongside Clara Larraín, which led to its success at festivals like SANFIC. “It’s based on the idea that when you travel, you can meet someone without really knowing who they are, which can be liberating but also dangerous,” Napier explains. “I wanted to see something I’d written come to life, and if you want your own stories to be made, you have no choice but to roll up your sleeves and make it happen. It was an incredible experience.”

A week of filming in the Atacama Desert was a dream come true for Taylor, leaving him with unforgettable memories: “Clara managed to get a luxury resort, Tierra Atacama, to sponsor our accommodation for the week in exchange for filming some material for their image library. Staying in a five-star resort for free and shooting in such a breathtaking landscape was mind-blowing.”

Following this experience, Taylor is eager to take things a step further and direct a project, and he already has a clear idea of what it will be about: “I’m from Tennessee, so a lot of my stories are set in that area. I love quirky dark comedies, but with dramatic moments that make you laugh and cry at the same time. If I can make someone laugh and cry in the same scene, I’ve done my job well.”

Through projects like ‘Atacama’, we’ve discovered that travelling is one of Taylor’s greatest passions. Much like his character John, he sees travel as a way of discovering oneself: “It’s an experience that constantly changes you. The way you perceive a place is always evolving, just like what you learn about yourself. It’s a reflection of your own story—you see different cultures, but you always relate them to your own experiences. Travelling broadens your horizons while also sharpening your perspective.”

At the same time, travel has a profound influence on his approach to acting: “Everything you experience stays with you when you take on a character, and I always draw elements from different cultures to bring them to life. When you act, you aim to bring a unique perspective. Directors often say, ‘Only this person could have played that character,’ but that’s not true. Many actors could do it, but only you can bring your own version. Travelling and seeing the world allow you to enrich characters with experiences and nuances that make them unique.”

Beyond acting and his love of travel, Taylor is also passionate about fashion, which he enjoys both in everyday life and on special occasions like red carpets. John Varvatos is one of his favourite brands, along with Prada and Oliver Spencer in the UK. But the actor also draws inspiration from his characters to define his own style: “This season in ‘The Wheel of Time’, there’s a jacket that Maksim wears that I absolutely love. It’s a leather jacket that’s a mix between a biker jacket and battle armour—I call it his ‘revenge kilt,’” he laughs.