“The Pendragon Cycle” is filled with strong, mythical characters, with one of the most quietly powerful figures being Taliesin. The bard who wields words as gracefully as a sword is played by James Arden, who gives life to the otherworldly yet undoubtedly human character in the epic tale. 

Arden told The Daily Wire that he was drawn to the character’s complexity and depth. “The fact that he’s a bard and a storyteller in a very kind of turbulent, violent world makes him already very unique,” he said.

Taliesin’s origin story sets the stage for that mystery. Viewers encounter him in a unique way early in the season. 

“He has no origin, you know, he’s just found on a riverbed, in a salmon weir,” Arden explained. He was raised like any other person but also had visions which became stories. “When he meets the Atlanteans, he can tell a story that I guess the rest of his people wouldn’t be able to do,” Arden said. “And by doing that … he has this kind of legendary, everyone-knows-who-he-is status.”

Arden was impressed by how the series creators were able to distill so much of Stephen R. Lawhead’s novel into a compelling, abridged story. 

“I’m amazed that they managed to turn it into a first season at all,” he said, noting that the first book alone could have filled multiple seasons. “They’ve done an amazing job of introducing Taliesin as a character without sacrificing the essence of who he is.”

Like some other “Pendragon” actors, Arden also mentioned the amazing sets as helping inspire his craft. The commitment to authenticity helped bring the legend to life, particularly the decision to shoot on location. “If you’re shooting in a forest, being able to feel the cold and feel the weather … it feels more organic and authentic,” he said. “You can just exist, and that’s a real gift.”

Watch the 7-part series now — only on DailyWire+. New episodes every Thursday.

When asked about moments fans will remember long after the season ends, Arden pointed to a scene involving Taliesin and Charis being introduced as the Lady of the Lake. Filmed at night on a still, moonlit lake framed by hanging willows, the scene left a lasting impression. “If you like fantasy and you like the whimsy of a story, it’s everything that you could want in that moment,” he said. “It was just so magical.” 

Taliesin’s role as a spiritual archetype sets him apart from many of the show’s other characters. Arden describes him as “a towering figure of faith” whose purpose is rooted in compassion. 

“His whole purpose in life is to be compassionate and warm and loving and kind,” he said. That clarity of virtue made the role surprisingly accessible. “Playing a good man who is fundamentally a good man in all of his values and virtues is quite easy,” Arden said. “You can just clear your mind.”

Though Taliesin is offered power, Arden says what defines him is restraint in the face of that choice. “He’s offered power and still decides not to,” he said. 

Off-screen, Arden describes a special camaraderie. The cast spent their first weeks together in Hungary training, riding horses, and learning to fight. “There was no ego,” he said. “It was just lovely actors wanting to create something really cool and sink into this beautiful fantasy world.” 

Not every memory was glamorous, however. Arden revealed several mishaps including a learning curve with riding horses, freezing shoots in the lake, and a misfortune involving a stirrup and “an area that I wouldn’t want a stirrup to swing towards.” 

Still, he wouldn’t trade those moments for anything. “Even though you might think, ‘Oh God, what a difficult day,’” Arden said, “It was just amazing because you’re surrounded by people who are lovely and warm and who care about the story.”

For Arden, Taliesin represents something rare in modern fantasy: a hero who shows his strength through gentleness and restraint. “His only motive is to create a world of peace and love … I think that’s pretty cool.”

“The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin,” premieres January 22, 2026, with early episodes releasing on Christmas Day for DailyWire+ All Access members.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Justice Department from searching Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s devices, which were confiscated under an FBI search warrant last week as part of a federal investigation into leaked classified materials.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Porter said on Wednesday that federal prosecutors cannot search Natanson’s devices as he weighs whether the government must turn the devices back over to the reporter, Reuters reported. Natanson and the Post argue that the FBI’s seizure of Natanson’s devices violates the First Amendment.

Porter said that Natanson and the Post “demonstrated good cause in their filings to maintain the status quo” until he can fully review the case. The judge also ordered the government to respond to the Post’s legal filing by January 28, with a hearing scheduled for early next month, the Post reported.

Journalists who publish classified information are protected under U.S. law, provided they obtained the classified material without coercion and did not ask anyone to break the law.

The FBI seized two laptops, a phone, and a Garmin watch from Natanson as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of leaking classified government materials. Natanson is not the target of the investigation, which is focused on Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a contractor with top-secret security clearance who allegedly took classified intelligence reports to his home.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said last week that Natanson was reporting on classified information that was “illegally leaked” by a “Pentagon contractor.” Bondi added that the accused leaker, whom she did not publicly identify, is in jail.

Natanson focuses on “covering the Trump administration’s reshaping of the government” and was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team at the Post. She has described herself as “the federal government whisperer” and wrote in an article published last month that she connected with more than 1,000 sources within the Trump administration after posting her phone number to an online forum for federal government employees. She said federal workers who reached out to her often expressed frustration with the administration.

The Washington Post condemned the federal government’s search of Natanson’s home and seizure of her devices.

“The outrageous seizure of our reporter’s confidential newsgathering materials chills speech, cripples reporting, and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on these materials,” the Post said.

Last year, Bondi ended a policy implemented under former President Joe Biden that prohibited federal agencies from searching reporters’ devices to identify a leaker. Bondi said that under her leadership, federal authorities would search reporters’ devices and records only when necessary and after all other investigative avenues had been exhausted.