Exclusive Interview With Taliesin Actor James Arden On The Rise Of The Merlin

In this exclusive interview, we sit down with British actor James Arden to discuss his breakout role as Taliesin in The Daily Wire's highly anticipated fantasy series The Rise of the Merlin, based on Steven Lawhead's beloved Pendragon Cycle novels. Premiering January 22nd, the series offers a fresh take on Arthurian legend, exploring the spiritual and political upheaval of ancient Britain as Christianity begins to reshape the land. Arden opens up about the challenges of portraying a legendary Celtic bard—including the surprising revelation about his character's iconic singing voice—the practical effects-driven production filmed across stunning European locations, and the remarkable chemistry built during an intensive five-week boot camp with his castmates. From discussing his approach to playing a character defined by pure goodness to praising co-star Tom Hughes' "obsession-worthy" portrayal of Merlin, Arden provides fascinating insights into a production that prioritizes storytelling and character relationships over spectacle, delivering what he describes as a refreshingly family-friendly fantasy epic.

Q: How are you doing?

A: Yeah, very well. How are you, man? Thanks for having me.

Q: Excellent. So, you’re actually coming all the way from the UK, and so we get to do this across the world. You guys filmed in a lot of interesting locations as I recall. What was your favorite spot to film before we get into all this?

A: I really did like Italy. The mountains and the landscape was pretty breathtaking. We’re very lucky to film in some of those spots. Grand Sasso was incredible.

Q: Good stuff. Now, you play the character Taliesin, who is the main character for the first at least two episodes that have been premiered, which I’ve had the honor of seeing, but I’ll try to avoid getting too deep into it. Obviously, the books are out there so people can kind of read what the story is about. Now, he’s a historical legendary figure in Celtic mythology. So, did you research the character beyond Steven Lawhead’s novels or look into the Welsh legends or did you focus primarily on the books and the script that you were given?

A: Yeah, primarily the script. I think sometimes it can be quite easy to muddy your idea of a character if you bring in too many different external stimuli. I thought there’s loads of cool legends about him. I love folk laws anyway, but there’s some really cool stories. There’s one in particular where he’s like a bit of a shape shifter and you know he’s like cursed by a witch with a cauldron and like he turns into like an otter and then he’s like a hen and there’s like loads of different ideas of how he came to be because obviously he has no origin. He’s very it’s just this creation that’s found. But yeah, most of my inspiration for him and for the character was just the script that I was given and then Steven Lawhead’s description of him. He’s introduced with a lot of detail. So I just sort of used that as much as I could.

Q: You have a very I’d say soft-spoken manner to you which I think lends really well to this sort of very spiritual bard and actually works with that. Did it feel pretty natural to you to get into this character or was it kind of odd because it’s a fantasy thing? And is this your first fantasy film?

A: First fantasy role. Yeah. I think he sat quite, not easy to play but he’s quite, the character doesn’t have a lot of ego. He’s an ambitious character but there’s not really a lot of conflict within him. He has all of the good traits of a well of a fantasy man, but he just wants good to come to the world and to the people around him. He has no viciousness or nastiness. So there’s nothing really for me to dissect and really fall into the imaginative transformation of him. He’s just a really good man. And obviously I’m not flawless, but I think it’s easier to play that sort of character than it is to play a villain or a man with conflicting ideas and things to pursue throughout a show. But I mean playing those sorts of characters are great fun. But yeah, I thought he was quite easy to access in terms of that just being in a world that the show takes place in which is just full of turmoil and just clashing. To just be placed as this figure this little beacon of light I thought was quite a comfortable place to sit in.

Q: Right. Yeah. It’s a lot of like the setting is really like a fear for the future because nobody they feel like the age is ending and yet a new age is beginning. And obviously a lot of it is the fact that Christ and Christianity is coming to the world and going to and actually really going to reshape England in a big way which I think is a nice take on the Arthurian legend and adding that into there. So, are you religious or was that something that you’re playing a character or what, how much did you, I guess, throw into that into the role?

A: Yeah, I tried to just, I was thinking about this earlier on actually on just on the way home. And I think playing any character that is religious is always quite easy because you just have to endow their idea of religion into something that matters a lot to you as a person. So, for example, I’m really close with my dad. So I can just I can endow all of the pieces of Christianity within the text with the idea of how close I feel with my dad and the support I feel from my dad. So I just it’s I think it’s easier for me to you know it’s the same thing as like you know if you’re in a scene and you’re against a villain or a cruel character you can endow them with the idea that they’re a snake or a tiger. You know, you just you place loads of imaginative work on them in order to feel as clear an image as you can. So that’s how I worked on that. I didn’t delve into the ideas of Christianity too deeply. I understood, you know, at the time there was a massive reshaping of religion in that world, you know, paganism was being removed almost entirely. And then you had these really interesting ideas coming in and people that’s what I think is done really well in the show is it’s introduced that there’s tales and stories of the man in the east and these stories and they’re just quite they’re at the same just figuring out how that sits with them and if that resonates with them as characters.

Q: It feels real historically on that level because that’s kind of what was coming to England at the time. It’s pretty neat.

A: And that just with Taliesin that just it connected with him really really deeply and really really clearly and he just made the click and then pursued it as a driving force.

Q: Now you got to deal with some of the I would say this show like having watched is a lot less effects-oriented than like a Game of Thrones or anything like that. And a lot less action-oriented too. It’s very much relationships between people and the conflicts between people and it’s refreshing. It reminds me more of like TV I used to watch in the ‘90s where it’s like yeah you’ll have a battle climax scene but it’s much more I’d say grounded. You actually got to play though one of the scenes that you know with visions and the like with Taliesin and they actually have to deal with a lot of effects in the later and I know that’s kind of unique to fantasy and sci-fi compared to probably a lot of other work you did. What was that like for you? How did that go dealing with visual monsters that might not be in front of you?

A: Yeah. Obviously it’s always easier when you’ve got something in front of you. Like the visual I was quite lucky really. A lot of the things I got to react to were quite literally directly in front of me which is which again just makes life very easy. I’m trying to think of things without giving spoilers.

Q: Right. I was trying not to give spoilers, too. I don’t know exactly how direct I should be on this. It’s kind of one of the vision scenes early on is what I’m thinking about where there’s kind of a very emotional moment that’s scary, right? And is very and is one of the spiritual scenes like you know.

A: Yeah, maybe do that. That was a man.

Q: Oh, really?

A: They created it, if it’s the bit I think we’re talking about, then yeah. They shot the scene with the wanderer earlier on in the day, when there was just the natural light coming through, and then they knew that they had to just take it over by a certain time because when it got dark and spooky, and they brought all the mist in, they rearranged the stones. Then the next day, we did the scene that we’re talking about.

Q: So that was mostly costuming and not green screen sort. Wow. Cool.

A: No. Yeah. I didn’t do any stage work at all. I had myself scanned with the cameras in case. But no, all of the stuff that I did was all there’s even a moment where Taliesin is lifting a stone and it’s you know wrapped in rope and even that it was me pulling on a rope with a very large Hungarian man on the other end of the rope and I was really trying to pull and lift this man off his feet which obviously I did but no it was all of it was physical and practical stuff. And I think actually for all the other guys as well, I mean it obviously from episodes one and two are gentle in terms of combat and battles. It gets really meaty and juicy. And I’m fairly certain that all of that all of those were just it was just blood, sweat, and tears all the way to the end for all of them.

Q: That’s really impressive and something that’s very unusual in filming today. So that’s really cool. Another big part of Taliesin is, of course, singing and being a bard as a character. And I learned actually from the folk that you work with that you actually were had another singer dubbed in over the top over the singing scenes which is pretty interesting. Was that awkward to film? Like what was that like for you?

A: Oh, I mean I’m glad you’ve said I’m glad it’s out. Cat’s out of the bag man. Yeah. Well I can’t sing a note in tune. I don’t know how people can hear.

Q: Because I was watching I was like damn he’s got a beautiful voice too but no.

A: I thought that as well. No not me. I yeah he’s a wonderful singer called Morgan and he’s just a lovely man with Welsh roots as well. So he you know connected with the words of Taliesin and obviously singing in a lot of Welsh. He connected with that really well. But yeah it was really awkward to stand because obviously everyone has to react to Taliesin’s voice which is described in the books as well as you know being the most majestic beautiful voice like a voice so beautiful that it gives the illusion that you have no wound. You have no pain. Your any feeling that you have inside you spiritually that is troubled or complicated is eased by the sound of this person’s voice. You know, and you do have to think about back then, too, they don’t just have AirPods where they could just listen to their favorite music or anything like that.

Q: It’s they just had whoever happened to be coming around. And if somebody was a true professional with a beautiful voice like that, it would just be it would be a moment to bring you to tears. And so that’s...

A: It was all it was stories. It was they were telling the story of what happened, you know, there’s no email. So whatever happened up in the north, if a guy slew 50 guys in a bar, you know, with a spoon, then you tell the story down south and you can embellish it and make 50 or 100 and whatever. But yeah, I had to stand my big singing scene, the first singing scene was in Fossa Abbey and I had to just stand in front of a bunch of supporting artists who most of them didn’t speak English and I had to just sing my song out of tune and they just had to listen because obviously I had to get the words. So that for Morgan he had to match it. And it would have they just had to they had to do so much acting to be like wow he is just an incredible singer. I just none of it was in tune.

Q: Now did anybody bust out laughing and rib you about it a little bit or...

A: No, I don’t think so. I think it was mostly just me. It was just it’s just funny just the idea of and it’s the way that it’s set up in such a cool kind of Luke Skywalker way with the hood and walking you know by this massive I don’t know how long it was table so going to this kind of horseshoe shape to stand in the middle of Atlantis and the Cymry and the Kings and Queens to stand there and then sing a song badly. It’s hilarious. No one’s ever going to find that not funny. But obviously you guys hear Morgan’s beautiful voice. You don’t hear what actually happened on the day. And I hope there is no recording of it. If there is, then I’ll hopefully never be seen ever again.

Q: It’s a pretty powerful moment. I mean, it does art can bring about peace, right? And that’s pretty great. So, yeah. Now the next like I’d say the most pivotal points of the couple of episodes is actually your relationship with the character Charis, played by Rose Reid. And we’ll have her on the channel in a couple of days to talk about the show as well. And so how did you and her build chemistry? Did you guys get to interact ahead of time or how did that all come about?

A: Yeah, I mean the whole cast had like you know five weeks of getting to know one another. It was like an accelerated boot camp of horse riding, sword fighting and rehearsals and actual you know which is quite rare actual physical rehearsals in front of a director to just see how the scenes are feeling. And obviously if you’re thrown into a boot camp to train and get to know each other, you naturally make those connections very very quickly. And I think well whether it’s luck or whether actually the industry is just a lovely place, but you hear horror stories, but I just encountered nothing but just really like hand-on just lovely lovely people and Rose was one of them. She had a lot more experience than me on screen. So, she was hugely supportive, almost like coached me through a few scenes. She’s like a proper giant on the screen. She’s incredible to watch. And I think we just got on so well that and we trusted each other so much that actually when it came to creating that real closeness and pure love it just came quite easily which is just again just either luck or just testament to good casting and getting good people involved.

Q: That’s amazing. Now, do you think that the Daily Wire and their production team might be a microcosm of something outside the industry that actually lends to that kind of better environment than the horror stories or do you was it was it just luck or do you know much about them or what led you to them really?

A: I think it’s I mean I’ve not done many screens like the Pendragon Cycle was the biggest TV show that I have ever and maybe will ever do like the budget and the scale was huge. The things that I’ve done before were, you know, English soaps that you guys won’t have even heard of. I was a day player.

Q: I saw them on IMDb and I was like, I was going to go watch them because I liked your performance so much. So...

A: Thank you. No. Yeah. So, I’ve done really small stuff, you know, you go in and you shake people’s hands very very quickly and then by the end of the day you’re gone. You never see them again. So, and all of those people were lovely, but you don’t I think I think what just surprised me to answer your question is just how, the show ended and I am friends with some of those people to this I’m seeing George George Apprentice plays David. I’m seeing him tomorrow for pints and he’s just a really good friend and just a lovely person in my life and I yeah maybe Daily Wire have cracked it and you know some people have done some big projects like Rose has done some big projects and continues to do so but we’re all relatively I hate you know unknown but I hate yeah we are all relatively kind of just new and just making our own path and carving our way through the industry. So maybe it’s a case of just not having an ego. Like none of us had any special requirements. Like it was just a bunch of people who wanted we just wanted to make something cool and we were happy just to figure that out and trust each other.

Q: That’s awesome. Good stuff. Now, do you think as a character, do you think just looking at this show and the scope of it, it is it does build into and it’s a prequel to King Arthur and his court and the like, right? Do you think it’s easier being somebody like Taliesin who most people might not have even have heard the name before than like a Merlin or an Arthur or do you think you had more freedom in that regard or think about that.

A: Absolutely. Yeah, I think if you’re playing a character that I mean Tom playing Merlin I mean that’s terrifying. People immediately, you know, if you’ve played a character, that character was attached to you. And I don’t think Taliesin has ever been portrayed not on screen and maybe I don’t know, I don’t think on stage either. It was he was mine to investigate and present whereas the other guys they it’s an extra effort and an extra kind of fight that they have to do to present their version of that character. So yeah, it’s definitely easier. The risk is that then whoever if it ever gets portrayed again, they just do even better. So you just have you just have to trust yourself and trust your instincts as an actor. And like I genuinely I know that you know but I genuinely think Tom’s Tom’s portrayal of Merlin as far as whatever I’ve seen of a character the Merlin is incredible. I genuinely think he is he definitely should be a rising star. He is so good as Merlin. He’s 6’4. He’s dark and mysterious. He’s got these piercing eyes. He’s, but then also with his stature and presence, he’s gentle and wise and still. He’s when when people see him in episode 3, they’re going to be obsessed with him. I’m so confident in that.

Q: Oh, that’s exciting. Yeah, I’ve only seen the first two episodes, so I have no clue yet. That’s great. Now the big thing and kind of how I want to wrap up is this is a fantasy that’s actually I mean it’s PG. I would feel comfortable watching this with my kids and increasingly I’m seeing that there’s almost no TV that’s like that. Is that actually refreshing to be in as an actor given just how you know over the top shows seem to go on sex and violence and swearing and the like these days or does it make a difference to you?

A: I think so. I mean, it’s all, you know, it’s all taste. I think I personally when I’m watching scenes or characters that especially in fantasy it’s case by case, isn’t it? I think with the Pendragon Cycle, I don’t think that I don’t think any physical intimacy that was too graphic had any it had no place in the story. Like Charis and Taliesin, they fall in love. And I think and I’m sure you’ll agree just by what you just said, the way that their intimate scenes are handled, those two characters, I think is perfectly done. I think it’s completely I don’t have kids and I don’t have to kind of worry about how that’s seen. But when I watched that back, I thought I genuinely thought that’s how intimate scenes should be done. But also, I don’t I’m not going to say that sometimes the vibe or the aesthetic of a show doesn’t lend itself to something that’s maybe a bit more I don’t know startling or I’m not sure. I think it is it goes by each show, but I think it’s handled in a really well way. I think I think they’ve the way it’s edited and the sound design over it, I think it’s a really beautiful and touching approach to two characters falling in love and creating that intimacy together.

Q: Absolutely. There’s a lot of powerful emotional moments that especially towards the end of the second episode which I won’t spoil again but that’ll be it. So, excellent. Well, thanks for the interview guys. This is again coming out on the 22nd on the Daily Wire. I believe they’re premiering the first two episodes and then they’re doing one episode a week after that. And I look forward to covering this over the next few weeks. Thank you for being here, James, and taking some time out of your day. We appreciate you. Anything else you want to say or what’s next for you?

A: Well, I’m currently in a play I just came back from rehearsals. And that’s being performed in Vienna. So I’ll be doing a five-week run of a play called Switzerland where I’m playing a sort of Tom Ripley character. It’s lovely to, you know, go from big, you know, TV show to then doing small intimate 250 seat theater. So that’s next and after that, who knows, you know, leap and a net will appear sort of thing.

The Rise Of The Merlin premieres on January 22nd on The Daily Wire Plus!