house of the dragon Fresh air fans need after the hasty end to game of Thrones. HBO Max has decided to go full throttle with this show, and every episode released to date has sent social media into a frenzy. The story is amazing and its drama is captivating, but what keeps it in the spotlight is the outstanding cast. sign on house of the dragon are just natural in conveying the skepticism we enjoy of George RR Martin’s work.
Based on Fire & Blood Prequel book, it follows the premise of giving a detailed history of the legendary House of Targaryen. After reliving small moments of his once royal legacy in Daenerys, house of the dragon puts game of Thrones‘ House Targaryen in the spotlight – with some ‘fire and blood’ of course. The series begins with an adaptation of the 12thth Chapter “Heirs of the Dragon: A Question of Succession”.
Largely faithful to the source material, there are still some permissive choices with the house of the dragon Characters introduced to give more appeal to mass television audiences. The book does not set itself the task of emphasizing appearances house of the dragon Characters, but some of its main actors have been described in detail. Especially characters who share different traits that represent their house. We’ve highlighted some of the main characters and compared their performances to their book counterparts.
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prince Demon Targaryen
King Viserys’ younger brother and a clear threat to his throne, Daemon Targaryen has received surprisingly little attention in terms of his looks. His position in the line makes him a possible heir to the series. However, he’s only ever been described as “lean and tough,” even “dashing,” but that leads us to assume he sports the traditional white hair, pale skin, and purple, light blue, or gold eyes that we’d come to expect from a Targaryen would.
At the time of Queen Aemma’s death, he is probably still in his mid-twenties. However, actor Matt Smith is pretty far from that standard. This change is most likely due to an already growing list of younger actors on the show due for a time warp and switch. It probably made more sense to keep Matt and not give fans too many unfamiliar faces after the first few episodes.
King Viserys Targaryen
Much like Daemon, Viserys is actually quite distant from his age at the time of his first wife’s death in the book. As the undisputed king of Westeros, we can’t rule out the possibility that the toll of ruling a kingdom can spoil one’s looks. Still, at 48, Paddy Considine is considerably older than the 28-year-old book colleague he plays. house of the dragon doesn’t rightly claim to give the characters the same age, so that’s actually not an issue in this adaptation.
Viserys also bears the traditional Targaryen traits, but over the years, due to several health issues, he’s taken on a more weathered appearance.
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Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen
This is probably the member of house of the dragon Cast that exhibits the greatest divergence from their book character counterpart. She has the traditional Targaryen traits, but some other parts of her design aren’t as consistent. Milly Alcock is a 22-year-old actress, but Rhaenyra would have been between 7 and 8 when her mother died, making her heir to the throne.
The book provides a brief description of her appearance, highlighting the fact that she “got strong and fat” by the age of 20 and carried that description well into her 30s. Non-binary actress Emma D’Arcy plays Rhaenyra in her 30s, and while she’s not an oversized character on the show, Emma still does an excellent job in the role.
Alicent Hightower
The daughter of Otto Hightower, Hand of the King, Alicent is adept at politics and her role at court grows in importance as the series progresses. Alicent doesn’t actually get a detailed description in the books.
Instead, we can deduce some key details about how the show has adapted its character. Like others on this list, her appearance at Queen Aemma’s death is a pivotal moment. She was 17 in the books and was played on the show by a 19-year-old Emily Carey. She has also been described as “lean and graceful” as she ages, rather than losing youthfulness in her beauty.
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Lord Corlys Velaryon
Corlys, known as Sea Snake, is played by 57-year-old actor Steve Toussaint. He is 52 on the books at the time of Queen Aemma’s death. He is married to Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and their children are hotly debated for their place in the line of succession. His character isn’t described much in the books, and his children are only ever detailed enough to have Valyrian traits (as they do in house of the dragon), presumably inherited from one of her parents. The typical blond hair of House Velaryon is present on Corlys, consistent with the books.
Lyonell Stark
Lyonel, Master of Laws for King Viserys, is described in the books as “a tall man, stocky and bald”, with his son described as being of similar height. He doesn’t exactly get a description of small details, but this overall look at the books should suffice for our imaginations. His grandchildren also carry their family traits with “brown hair, brown eyes and a pug nose”. Gavin Spokes, who plays Lyonel, fits the description of House Strong, but he doesn’t have the hair loss problems of his book counterpart.
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Mysaria
Introduced early Fire & Blood, Mysaria is Daemon’s mistress and a former slave from Lys. She is a trusted ally, providing him with information in mysterious and unconventional ways.
She is described in the books as having “skin as pale as milk” and probably fair hair, thanks to her nickname “Misery, the White Worm”. house of the dragon changed her character a bit and chose Japanese-born actress Sonoya Mizuno for the role, and she keeps her natural traits in the character. Despite the departure from her book appearance, she’s dangerous and cunning on exactly the same level, which is exciting to see.
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