Asian A.V. Club newsletter #47: Daniel Henney

We definitely loved 'hanging' with actor Daniel Henney as he opened up about his journey from small town Michigan to being global fan favorite Lan Mandragoran in The Wheel of Time

Apr 25, 2025

There’s no denying Daniel Henney’s striking presence, but what truly sets him apart is his decades-long dedication to honing his craft, steadily building a career as a working actor across continents.

In the early 2000s, Henney began modeling, booking runway jobs in Milan and ad campaigns throughout Southeast Asia. While on a shoot in South Korea, he was scouted to play Dr. Henry Kim in the smash hit K-drama My Lovely Sam Soon, quickly becoming a household name.

After years in Korea, Henney returned to the U.S. to pursue Hollywood. Starting with smaller TV roles, he eventually landed a five-season run as Special Agent Matt Simmons in Criminal Minds. Then, in 2019, he took on the role of fan-favorite Lan Mandragoran in Prime Video’s epic fantasy adaptation of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time.

In our chat below, Henney talks about growing up in a small town and embracing his Asian heritage through his mother’s own journey of self-discovery. He also reflects on the lessons learned from playing the quiet stoicism of Lan—and how he’s managed to be able to work successfully between Hollywood and Asia.

The Wheel of Time is streaming now on Prime Video

Isn’t Daniel the loveliest person to talk to? I loved the anecdote about co-star Rosamund Pike offering to workshop a dramatic performance with his wife Ru AND the fact that he didn’t even blink when I asked about Lan thirst traps this season!

I hope you liked our ‘hang’ with Henney (oh wait… I should have renamed it that) and remember to SUBSCRIBE (for free OR if you want to support independent sites like #AAVC, we are more than happy to receive a monetary donation!)

We won’t be posting as much in May as #AAVC will be going to Cannes and the Far East Film Festival in Udine. But this allows you to look around and check out some of our other interviews that you may have missed.