Ever since we learned the series adaptation was officially greenlit by Prime Video, we’ve been looking forward to finding out who would be in the Fourth Wing cast. The first book in Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series, Fourth Wing introduces us to Violet Sorrengail, who’s spent her whole life planning to enter the Scribe Quadrant. She’s expecting a life of learning about and recording history in the Archives, surrounded by books, far away from the battlefield. But suddenly, her mom (General Lilith Sorrengail) forces her to join the Riders Quadrant.
Now, Violet has to survive training to become one of the dragon riders…or die. There are many, many, many ways to die before she ever gets to bond with a dragon—assuming the dragons don’t find her unfit and fry her. If, and when she does bond, death still waits around every corner. That’s true for everyone who enters the Quadrant, but between her family name and a body that most would describe as fragile, Violet’s got a huge target on her back. Forget dragons and deadly obstacle courses—plenty of classmates want Violet dead, and as long as they kill her in “acceptable” times and places, that’s just fine at Basgiath.
One person Violet knows she absolutely has to avoid: Xaden Riorson, son of the notorious Fen Riorson whose ill-fated rebellion ended in his death. Violet’s mom was a huge part of shutting that rebellion down, so Xaden has every reason to want to eliminate her and plenty of power with which to do it. But, well. Did we mention Fourth Wing is a romantasy of the enemies-to-lovers variety? Because there may or may not be actual, literal sparks between Xaden and Violet at, uh, several climactic moments. So, the Prime Video series’ success or failure depends on whether or not we can believe Violet and Xaden fall for each other—hard.
Recently, Deadline reported that the Fourth Wing cast has its leads. Now that we know Esther McGregor (Clean Hands, Babygirl, We Were Liars) and Emilio Sakraya (Warrior Nun, Tribes of Europa, Sixty Minutes) are our Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson, are we ready to cross the Parapet and start training at Basgiath with them? Are they really our Violence (Xaden’s pet name for Violet) and Xaddy (Xaden’s supposed to be hot, ok)? As in, should we get these two bonded to some dragons already…or prepare for a testy dragon (or two, or three) to turn them into toast? Let’s discuss.
Thoughts on Esther McGregor as Violet Sorrengail?
Shana: I can see the vision. As soon as the Fourth Wing cast news dropped, social media made that vision even more clear. There are tons of edits of McGregor sporting Violet’s braid and silver-tipped hair; I’ve also seen some great edits of her and Sakraya in riding leathers. Thank you, fandom.
My biggest concern comes down to Violet’s health. When I started reading Fourth Wing, I recognized the Ehlers-Danlos symptoms pretty quickly. So, obviously, I instantly started searching everything I could to make sure I was correct. (I was. Empyrean series author Rebecca Yarros herself has EDS, and she’s spoken about both that and the other chronic illness in her family on social media, among other places, before.)
Disability and how we adapt to it plays a big role in Violet’s journey, like when she’s initially very against certain accommodations. That kind of representation just doesn’t exist anywhere near as much as it should, especially not with the hero being the one living with chronic illness and chronic pain day to day. Violet has to work so much harder than everyone else to survive, but she does, against all odds. Her condition makes her seem “delicate” or “weak,” but she’s really just is so, so strong and brilliant. She’s super creative, too.
The character isn’t inspiration p**n, and she’s not put out there as some kind of “oh, there’s no excuse” or “if this person can do it, why can’t you just…” Her condition is a part of her and affects her all the time, but it’s not all she is. Although I don’t actually have what Violet does, I’ve been through my own health struggles and appreciated this part of the story more than I can say. So, I wish the Fourth Wing cast included someone who was actively, vocally, in those disability and chronic illness spaces. Nobody owes us their personal health information to take a role, though, so there’s no way to ever fully know what connections may or may not exist. But…I’ve done some early checks, only to come up short on…anything. I can’t say as I exactly feel great about that.
Even so, there’s also the reality of things like chemistry, and performance, and everything else that goes into being on a set and making a story like Fourth Wing come to life. If nothing else, it looks like McGregor knows how to do her research—there are plenty of stories about her speaking to addicts in recovery for her role in Clean Hands. Basically, here’s hoping the series still honors that vitally important part of Violet’s characterization in other ways.
Lizzie: It’s always really hard with casting to be like, yes, this works, but I’m cautiously optimistic here. There’s this vibe about her that I think can work as Violet. I’ve seen a lot of pictures, and people have been doing the Lord’s work in making me imagine her. I agree with Shana about the disability aspect of it, and I’ll be looking at how they handle that. And if there are people who have problems with her casting because of it, I certainly believe we should listen to people in those spaces over me. But I’m willing to keep an open mind.
Rachel: I’m ready to watch her! I’m sure some people will yell “nepo baby” about her, or maybe they already have, but I like the way she physically fits the character of Violet. (I wish she was a bit shorter like Violet, but hey, this is Hollywood.) I mean, she’s already worked with a world-class director like Pedro Almodóvar, and I’m sure her dad can give her advice about starring in a popular franchise!
Thoughts on Emilio Sakraya as Xaden Riorson?
Shana: I found Sakraya’s Instagram account. It is literally just basically Xaden Riorson in training. I mean, ok. Not literally. But…I have zero doubt that he’ll be able to embody how lethal this guy is.
On a less superficial note: I’m so relieved there’s no whitewashing going on here. Yes, Sakraya fits the description in terms of attractiveness and physicality, but the most important part—not being a white dude—is there. So, again, I see the vision. If there’s even a drop of chemistry, some of my favorite book scenes (Xaden, forcing “Violence” to earn some daggers and/or the armoire, anyone?) have the potential to make viewers spontaneously combust.
Now, let’s get that rebellion relic on him and (a fake version of) those very important scars on his back, please and thank you.
Lizzie: On the one hand, he fits! He looks good. And it is very, very good that they didn’t just pick a white man with a tan, which, you know, Hollywood. On the other hand, pictures are not going to give us anything. Casting is so weird because we look at pictures and go “okay, this is great” or go, “this is awful,” but the chemistry is really what’s going to make or break this. And we won’t know if they have chemistry for a whiiiiiiiiile.
I assume, at this point, that the people behind these adaptations understand the chemistry aspect of it, because I’m willing to be like okay, this character isn’t exactly like I imagined or how I described if the chemistry is there. If it isn’t, then, I’ll have complaints about everything.
Rachel: I’ll admit, I haven’t seen any of Sakraya’s work. However, I am thrilled they didn’t whitewash the character of Xaden. That’s always a genuine concern. Sakraya’s looks fit Xaden perfectly. He’s not just photogenic, he also has a certain commanding physicality that is required to make Xaden just as beloved on screen as he is on the page.
Now that we know who our leads are, who are you hoping to hear about from the Fourth Wing cast next?
Any thoughts on which actors you think would work with McGregor and Sakraya?
Shana: I’m going to be real here. I just need to know which voice actors are doing the dragons. Grumpy old man Tairn has to be perfect—or else. As a Scream fan, I’m almost like “maybe they should call Roger L. Jackson.” But then, I’m like, “do I really want to know Tairn and Ghostface are the same guy? Maybe yes, maybe no!” So, I can’t say for sure. I just know they have got to get that voice right. Same goes for Andarna and Sgaeyl. One of the things that made BBC’s Merlin so great was the late John Hurt’s work as The Dragon. So. yeah. Correct dragon voices are a must, and there’s absolutely plenty of precedent for me saying that.
For flashback purposes, is it too meta if I say there’s an obvious person to cast as Violet’s father? Explaining to people that Obi-Wan’s daughter rides dragons and kicks major a** would be way easier with Obi-Wan actually there, is all I’m saying. (Esther McGregor is the daughter of Ewan McGregor, for those who don’t know.) I agree with Lizzie and Rachel, specifically about needing to get Rhi and Liam right. Also, for Xaden’s family, I don’t envy anyone trying to put the Fourth Wing cast together since Bodhi is supposed to look like he could practically be this guy’s twin, just smaller.
Otherwise, I like to be surprised. I never thought of Sam Reid as Anne Rice’s Brat Prince, but I’m now a “he’s Lestat de Lioncourt in real life” truther. So, let’s have a Fourth Wing cast with that kind of magic.
Lizzie: Dain is perhaps the one I’m most interested in, and if they get Dain, Liam, and Rhiannon right, it feels like we will have achieved something magical. And honestly, I hope it’s no one I can guess. I think the more unknowns they cast in these roles, the better. I don’t want to be watching and imagining any actor in another role somewhere else.
Rachel: I’m looking forward to finding out who is playing Violet’s friends and family. Characters like Rhiannon, Ridoc, and Mira. I still like actors such as Amandla Stenberg, Rhenzy Feliz, and Grace Caroline Currey for those roles. And I also want to know who will voice Tairn! Violet’s dragon is just as important as the human supporting characters, and Idris Elba is the best choice for him.
What are your thoughts on the Fourth Wing cast news?
Who do you want to see in the Fourth Wing series adaptation? Leave us a comment, and stay tuned for more Fourth Wing cast news!
