Barney Alexander Harris is a British actor who portrayed Mat Cauthon in Season 1 of Prime Video's The Wheel of Time.
Harris did not return to portray Mat Cauthon for the last two episodes of season 1, and Dónal Finn was cast to portray Mat beginning in season 2.[1] The reasons for the recasting have not been officially revealed.
Overview
Prior to The Wheel of Time, Harris was best known for portraying Ned in The Hollow Crown (2016), Sykes in Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016), Yehud in Starboy (2019), and Barney in Clique (2018).
Harris's casting as Mat Cauthon was announced on August 14, 2019.[2]
After production was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harris did not return to production when filming resumed in September 2020. For three years after departing The Wheel of Time, Harris did not appear in any new projects. He returned to acting in 2023 for the film Magpie which wrapped production in June 2023.[3]
Credits
- The Wheel of Time TV series
Recasting
Harris filmed the first six episodes as Mat Cauthon before production was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When production resumed, Harris did not return. The ending of episode 6 was modified so that Mat did not enter the Ways with the group. Harris as Mat appears briefly in episode 8, reusing footage of him from episode 5.
In September 2021, before the premiere of season 1, it was reported that Harris would not be returning as Mat Cauthon for season 2, with Dónal Finn replacing him in the role.[1]
Reasons for leaving the show
The reasons for Harris not returning to set and for the recasting have not been officially revealed.
Harris's leaving appears to be amicable. Both showrunner Rafe Judkins and executive producer Marigo Kehoe said that they loved working with Harris in season one. Judkins said that they were lucky to have Harris in the first season,[4] and Kehoe said they wished Harris well.[5]
In a 2022 defamation complaint that was apparently filed by Harris himself, he cites "highly personal reasons" for needing to leave the show.[6]
In 2023, Screenrant reported that Barney Harris left The Wheel of Time due to mental health reasons.[7]
Misinformation
On January 4, 2022, Small Screen incorrectly reported that the reason Harris left had to do with the production's COVID-19 policy, stating that "Harris didn't want to get vaccinated."[8] However, Harris did not return to filming in September 2020, and the first emergency use authorization for the vaccine wasn't given until months later in December 2020,[9][10][11] so refusing to get vaccinated could not have been the reason since none of the cast could be vaccinated prior to the vaccination becoming available. In November 2022, apparently after legal pressure,[12] Small Screen deleted the article and published a new article speculating on possible reasons for Harris's departure, without mentioning vaccination as a possibility.[13]
Despite the claim being impossible, the misinformation was spread by other sites and users online.[14][15][16] Those articles were eventually removed from Google search following defamation complaints.[6][12]
Reception
Barney Harris's portrayal of Mat Cauthon was generally well-received by both fans and critics.[7] Collider said that Harris was "a fantastic Mat for the six episodes we got to see him in. His role as the character has to go through a lot of changes fast, and he sold it."[17] Forbes magazine stated that Harris "plays Mat Cauthon perfectly—both his charm and the darkness that begins to overtake him."[18] Rolling Stones also praised Harris, saying him and Rosamund Pike were the two who stood out for their performances in season 1.[19] The Tab said Harris was "pretty solid" in the role.[20]
Quotes
Mat is probably seen as the sort of light relief of the books and of the series, but he's much more complicated. I think his inner monologue is very much like, "I'm a bad person. I don't deserve this." Something to do with maybe the poverty that he has, and the ideas of reincarnation, and the stuff you don't agree with have coming into the fore. So yeah, he sees himself as quite a bad person, but his actions are always good. Mat's relationship with Rand is like they've grown up together, they've known each other since they were kids, and they're very banterous with each other. I think I see [Rand] as quite stubborn and quite serious all the time, which [Mat finds] quite irritating, I think [Mat finds] them both irritating, I'm not sure why [Mat] is friends with either of them. But they're loyal and loving and good friends to [Mat].
Barney Harris, IGN, October 29, 2021
It’s always hard, but we’re really lucky that Barney is so great in the first season; I love him in the show.
Rafe Judkins on the recasting, November 10, 2021[4]
- Graeme Guttmann
- Marigo Kehoe
- Graeme
- Marigo
- — Producer Marigo Kehoe on the recasting, Screenrant, November 13, 2021[5]
Yeah, he's great. We're very excited for the fans to see Dónal in the role. We've already had him playing Mat in the new series, and he's fantastic.
Gallery
Images
Video
Trivia
- Barney Harris and Sophie Okonedo both worked on The Hollow Crown, where Okonedo played the mother of Harris's character.
External links
Barney Harris at the Internet Movie Database
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Deadline. 'The Wheel Of Time': Dónal Finn To Play Mat Cauthon In Recasting On Amazon Series As Barney Harris Not Returning For Season 2. September 20, 2021.
- ↑ Twitter: “It was about a hero who insisted with every breath that he was anything but a hero.” @BarneyHarriso as Mat Cauthon #WoTWednesday #TwitterOfTime August 14, 2019.
- ↑ Deadline, Cornish Folk Horror Starring ‘The Witcher’ Breakout Emma Appleton Wraps Production, First Look Revealed by Zac Ntim, June 21, 2023.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Deadline, ‘The Wheel Of Time’ Boss Says Dónal Finn Taking Over As Mat Cauthon Will Be “Seamless”, Sees Series Going Eight Seasons by Rosy Cordero, November 10, 2021.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Screenrant video interview with Marigo Kehoe and Mike Weber, November 13, 2021.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Defamation Complaint to Google pertaining to Just Jared, All Geek Things, and Otakukart. November 30, 2022.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Screenrant. Why Mat Was Recast For The Wheel of Time Season 2 by Kayleena Pierce-Bohen. 21 Sep 2023.
- ↑ Small Screen: "Barney Harris Fired From The Wheel Of Time – Here’s Why" (archived) by Edward Lauder. January 4, 2022. Excerpt: "According to the insider, Harris didn’t want to get vaccinated which might have been a problem for filming a second season. Here’s what our source had to say on the matter: 'It all had to do with Covid vaccines. Amazon has a very strict policy on making sure their sets are Covid-free zones.'"
- ↑ U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: COVID-19 Vaccine Milestones December 11, 2020.
- ↑ Reuters: Czech Republic starts coronavirus vaccine rollout. December 26, 2020.
- ↑ Summary of the Public Assessment Report for COVID-19 Vaccine Pfizer/BioNTech. Relevant portion: "A marketing authorisation was granted for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (Comirnaty) following a European Commission (EC) decision on 21 December 2020 (PLGB 53632/0002)."
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Defamation Complaint to Google pertaining to Just Jared. January 05, 2023.
- ↑ Small Screen, "Why Did Barney Harris Leave The Wheel Of Time?" (archived) by Edward Lauder. November 25, 2022.
- ↑ Example: Otakukart, Why Did Barney Harris Leave Wheel of Time? by Ranjita Paul, October 10, 2022. "it has been rumored that Barney Harris left Wheel of Time after he was allegedly removed after the actor did not want to get vaccinated against COVID-19."
- ↑ Example: Just Jared, 'Wheel of Time' Season 2 First Look Gives Fans First Look at New Mat After Barney Harris Exits Show, October 8, 2022. "Despite no official statement being made, some outlets have reported that Barney‘s departure was due to the COVID-19 vaccine. According to Small Screen, Barney was allegedly fired because he didn’t want to get vaccinated against the pandemical virus. “It all had to do with Covid vaccines. Amazon has a very strict policy on making sure their sets are Covid-free zones,” a source assumedly shared with the site."
- ↑ Example: comment on /LOTR_on_Prime Reddit: "Mat's actor refused to take a COVID vaccine at the height of the pandemic when production returned for Episodes 7 and 8 ...." December 2, 2022.
- ↑ Collider. 'The Wheel of Time's Mat Cauthon Recasting Actually Works by Brandon Moreno. Dec 9, 2023.
- ↑ Forbes. ‘The Wheel Of Time’ Review: Epic Adventure, Lackluster Design by Erik Kain. Nov 18, 2021.
- ↑ Rolling Stones. ‘Wheel of Time’ Grinds Things Like ‘Plot’ and ‘Character’ to a Screeching Halt by Alan Sepinwall. 16 Nov 2021. Excerpt: "Moiraine and Mat are the only two who stand out even a bit, and that’s owing more to the performances by Rosamund Pike and Barney Harris than anything either is given to do."
- ↑ The Tab. We FINALLY know a little more about Dónal Finn replacing Barney Harris on The Wheel of Time by Kieran Galpin. April 3, 2025. "... Barney Harris stepped into the role of Mat and gave a pretty solid performance."