She played the manipulative Amy in Gone Girl, portrayed real people including war reporter Marie Colvin, and was nominated for a Golden Globe last year for her performance in the black comedy thriller I Care A Lot.

But the new adaptation of The Wheel of Time sees Rosamund Pike in a fantastic role, leading the cast of a series based on Robert Jordan’s bestselling novels.

She told Sky News’ Backstage podcast that it was nice to do something unexpected.

“I like to surprise people, but I don’t prioritize the element of surprise over the choices I believe in,” said Pike.

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“So it seemed like this character came into my life for a reason, it sounds a bit like gibberish, but I had had a pretty tough run with some of the great lives I’ve played in recent years like Marie Colvin and Marie Curie, and I thought this world that seeks balance in Wheel Of Time with this woman, who is kind of connected to the universe in a pretty deep way and can channel elements, I thought , “This is going to be a role that I evolve with differently and learn new skills from ‘.”

With every adaptation comes a weight of expectation from fans – but although Jordan has sold over 90 million copies of the Wheel Of Time books, Pike isn’t just out of step with that expectation – she is. take advantage.

She said: “I like the responsibility of taking a much loved character and fleshing it out and because I’m pretty dedicated I think as an actor, I dig deep and I think deeply and I love the responsibility. .

“And I think there is a risk because obviously you know that you won’t be liked by everyone, and I think this little danger of you being able to fail so easily, I think it attracts me. too.”

Pike co-star Daniel Henney admits he wondered how fans would react to the casting.

“At first there was some trepidation because of the number of books sold and how much they are loved,” he told Backstage.

“But I was pleasantly surprised once we got started and got to know The Wheel Of Time fans and the fan base, and how adorable they are and how supportive they’ve been.

“I think we’re so lucky because it feels like they’re just an extension of us, a team, and they’ve been more of a support system than anything else, which doesn’t isn’t what I had expected at first when you log on to something that is so appreciated and there is a lot of pressure, but it has turned out to be a real asset for us, to be honest. “

The characters of Pike and Henney are extremely close, but the relationship is purely platonic.

The actress said it meant developing “some sort of shortcut” between the two men to show how well they know each other.

“They hardly need to meet their eyes to know what the other is thinking, and it’s important that when they are fighting together they don’t have to be in each other’s eyes. other to find out what the other is doing, “Pike explained.

“So things like that, which maybe it’s not immediately obvious, but a lot of times we’re back to back, but we’re completely aware of each other in space and anticipating the movement of the other person.

“It’s a beautiful thing Robert Jordan wrote in developing this link, it’s a really cool thing to play with, and I think the audience will really, really appreciate it.”

Henney said that meant deviating from the norm when it came to filming certain scenes, saying, “I remember the stunt guys when they choreographed the sequences initially, they did a great job, but there were times they included moments for me to look at her directly and bring out those moments.

“And I said, I didn’t want that, I wanted it to be a lot more on an unspoken level, that we didn’t have to look at each other, we could feel.”

Pike’s character can use magic, harness light to cast spells, and she told Sky News that she took inspiration from Tai Chi and Qigong practices in order to make the performance authentic.

“I want to feel that when she pulls those threads, there’s something that she’s actually grabbing… And I just wanted to avoid at all costs something that doesn’t seem to be connected, kind of totally relying on the effects. visuals to make me look cool, ”Pike said.

“I was just like, ‘I have to believe this because surely the most interesting part about this character is the cost to her of the channeling – what is the physical toll of these massive elemental forces going through your body?’ This is surely what is interesting about the unique power.

Robert Jordan points out that if you are not trained, it is so intoxicating to use it that you draw more and more until it finally burns you through and through, like an incredibly strong narcotic. “

The Wheel of Time is available on Amazon Prime Video – hear our review in the latest episode of Backstage – Sky News’ film and television podcast.