Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant’s Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, “Movie Monsters of the Deep.”
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
The Prime Video adaptation of Rebecca Yarros’ bestselling novel series Fourth Wing is one of the most highly-anticipated upcoming fantasy TV series, and the latest announcement has answered one of the fanbase’s biggest questions. Containing the intense action of House of the Dragon and the romance of Bridgerton, Fourth Wing follows the enemies-to-lovers story of Violet and Xaden as they train as dragon riders, a notoriously dangerous profession. With the books widely credited with popularizing the romantasy genre, any actors considered for the main roles must have enough chemistry to carry their complicated relationship.
Fourth Wing was published in 2023, giving fans plenty of time to imagine potential castings for the Fourth Wing TV show. Until recently, these had been theories and wish lists, but Prime Video has now confirmed Fourth Wing‘s first major cast members, officially putting faces to the two central characters, with Violet being played by Esther McGregor, and Xaden being played by Emilio Sakraya. This news has received mixed reactions from Fourth Wing‘s fanbase. It is difficult to please every reader, but considering the challenge that comes with adapting a beloved book, Prime Video could have made worse decisions.
What Else You’ve Seen Fourth Wing’s Violet & Xaden Actors In
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Image via Prime Video</figure>
Esther McGregor began her career as a model, only beginning acting in 2018, and with regular appearances from 2022 onward, but some may recognize her as Mirren, one of the main characters in We Were Liars, the young adult psychological thriller about a woman with memory loss who realizes that everyone around her is hiding something. She also appears in Nicole Kidman’s erotic thriller Babygirl, played Natalie in the coming-of-age drama High School, and has several upcoming projects, including Prime Video’s sci-fi video game adaptation, Life Is Strange, where she will play Rachel Amber.
With English language projects tending to get more attention, Emilio Sakraya’s previous work might not be as well-known as some of McGregor’s movies and TV shows. That said, he has built an extensive acting resume in German language movies and TV shows before being cast as the gang leader JC in Warrior Nun, Kiano in the underrated apocalyptic drama Tribes of Europa, and Koza in Netflix’s One Piece adaptation. As Fourth Wing‘s Xaden is one of the most complex characters in the series, hiding multiple secrets, this was an especially important casting to get right.
Fourth Wing’s Picks For Violet & Xaden Are Perfect
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Image via MovieStillsDB</figure>
Fourth Wing‘s casting decisions have been divisive among fans for several reasons, with one of the main issues raised being McGregor’s suitability for the role. Amid ongoing discourse about “nepo babies,” the children of celebrities getting access to opportunities denied to less well-connected people, it has not gone unnoticed that McGregor is the daughter of actor Ewan McGregor. However, her previous roles have made her a perfect choice for the part. Like the initially fragile Violet, We Were Liars‘ Mirren is cautious, with the occasional bold streak that emerges.
Physically, McGregor can portray both fragility and inner resolve, often within the same scene, and with the addition of a wig to give her Violet’s brown and silver hair, she could be as close to the book’s description as it is possible for a real person to be. With Sakraya already physically resembling Xaden, fans have highlighted his previous roles as a reason he is likely to be the ideal choice. He regularly plays characters with authority and strength, who are positioned close to danger, and Xaden will give him the opportunity to highlight his range within a similar archetype.
There are currently three published novels and a short story collection in the Empyrean book series, with Fourth Wing being the first full-length novel.
Both of Prime Video’s castings are perfect, but this is just the beginning, as Fourth Wing has bigger castings to decide on than Xaden and Violet. The dragons are central to the story, with their roles growing even more important over time, and as they can communicate telepathically with their riders, the show needs voice actors who can convey these intense relationships believably opposite McGregor and Sakraya. Fantastical creatures can be difficult to get right, but with Prime Video onto a good start with Violet and Xaden, the show’s universe is taking shape, with fans optimistic about Fourth Wing‘s future.
Fourth Wing
Based on the novel series by Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing follows the adventures of a young woman taken from her peaceful book-reading life and thrust into a world of danger, joining an elite group of dragon-riding warriors.
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