Ceara Coveney is a rising thespian who you need to have on your radar. After appearing in Netflix’s Young Wallander and the BBC Films / BFI feature flick Hoard, Coveney has truly found her home on The Wheel Of Time.

Staring alongside seasoned household names like Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski and Natasha O-Keeffe, Coveney plays the role of increasingly fan favourite character Elayne Trakand, Daughter Heir Of Andor, and fits the role like a glove, settling into the fantastical tone of the series with ease. The series itself is proving a much watch, a vast, stunning story that portrays a world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it.

We had the pleasure of catching up with Ceara, chatting inspirations, her proudest career moments, and thriving in her role on The Wheel Of Time.

*This interview was conducted pre SAG strike.

Hey Ceara, how are you! How has your day been so far?
Hey! I’m good thank you, it’s been a lovely day so far.

Tell us how you first got into acting? We’d love to hear about your early days!
I’ve always been into performing arts, dancing and musical theatre… they were all a huge part of my childhood. It wasn’t until later on, in secondary school, that I realised my passion and niche was in acting. I had a wonderful drama teacher who encouraged me to seriously consider pursuing it as a career, so I took the leap and studied Acting at university. I had a slow start to my career after graduating, it took me a couple of years of hustling on my own until I was discovered by my, now, agent and things really began to take off.

Who are your main inspirations professionally, but also in your personal life?
Gosh, I have so many! Jessie Buckley, Florence Pugh, Taylor Russell to name a few but I have to say I find my main inspirations professionally to be my peers. I know an amazing community of actors through workshops in London. More and more I’m seeing faces I recognise on screens and stages and it fills me with so much joy and excitement. This career can be relentless so seeing people you’ve watched work so hard have their wins is incredibly inspiring. I also have to shoutout my parents. They are my biggest inspirations and my number one fans. I wouldn’t be here without them.

Tell us about how you landed the role in The Wheel of Time! Was it a “pinch me” moment?
Absolutely! It was beyond my wildest dreams to land such a role so early on in my career. The audition process was a complete whirlwind, I actually booked the job from one self-tape. It was such a shock. I had no idea how to process the news when my agent rang me. I was actually in the middle of a home workout with my flatmates, we all jumped around and screamed and hugged and then were like, what do we do now? So we just decided to finish the workout because we had all this excited energy and didn’t know what to do with it!

What has it been like working with Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski and Marcus Rutherford?
It’s been such a gift, talk about a “pinch me” moment. I’ve learnt so much from each of them. The entire cast are so lovely and ridiculously talented and I feel so lucky to be working alongside them.

You play Elayne Trakand in the popular series. Introduce us to her and her role in the series? Why do you like playing her?
Elayne is the daughter Heir of Andor, she’s next in line to the throne. We meet her in the White Tower as a novice, beginning her Aes Sedai training alongside Egwene and Nynaeve, who audiences met in Season One. It’s a huge shift in her life as she knows it. She’s navigating making new friends, living in a new environment and realising her new role in the pecking order. It was so much fun to start playing her at this point in her journey, she’s trying her best but still managing to put her foot in it and it takes her on quite the adventure.

If you could work alongside any actor or director – who would you choose?
Greta Gerwig for sure! Her work ignites an excitement in me. Lady Bird was the film that made me leave the cinema thinking “I want to make films”. Before that point I was convinced I was only going to work on stage.

What has been the proudest moment in your career so far?
It’s so hard to pick one moment… I’m so proud of my achievements so far and seeing how proud my family are of me. I’m also just so proud of my past self for persevering and chasing my dreams, even when it felt like they were never going to happen.

What is one bit of advice you’d give to someone starting out in their acting career?
Don’t put your life on hold for this career. It’s easy to feel like you need to be hustling 24/7, especially when you’re starting out but it’s necessary to take time for yourself. Acting isn’t everything, it’s just a job at the end of the day and there are so many other ways to feel fulfilled in life other than your career. It’s important to nurture those parts of you too; all the experiences you have in life are going to inform and enrich your work. So, book that holiday, see those friends, spend that time with your family. It’s not time wasted.

What are your next big moves?
I’m currently filming the third season of The Wheel of Time which is pretty big for now. I’m excited to see what’s next for me professionally- my vision board and I have some big plans. On a personal level, I’d love to do some travelling in the next year or so.