Oscar Garland plays “Ser Addam” in House of the Dragon
By Dan Selcke
Like Game of Thrones before it, prequel series House of the Dragon has a ton of characters, from lords and ladies at the top of the pecking order to random peasants who climb the ranks. And we’re finding out about new ones all the time. For instance, Redditors noticed a posting on the management firm Waring & McKenna for actor Oscar Garland, who will be playing the character of “Ser Addam.”
As it happens, there is a character from Fire & Blood — the book on which the show is based — named Addam of Hull. Is Garland playing this character? Probably not. Addam of Hull is the bastard son of either Leanor Velaryon or (more likely) Leanor’s father Corlys Velaryon, played by Steve Toussaint on the series. Toussaint is a black man and Garland is very much not, so it’s doubtful that Garland is playing Toussaint’s son. Also, Addam doesn’t come into the story until a bit later, so we’d be surprised to see him in the first season.
However, even if Garland isn’t playing Addam of Hull, the character is really interesting and we’ll take any excuse to talk about him. So let’s do it:
Who is Addam of Hull in House of the Dragon?
House of the Dragon is the story of the Dance of the Dragons, a brutal Targaryen civil war that tears Westeros apart. On one side we have Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the eldest child of the late King Viserys I Targaryen and his chosen heir to the Iron Throne. On the other we have Aegon II Targaryen, the king’s son by his second wife Alicent Hightower, who pushes for his claim over Rhaenyra’s after the king dies.
It looks like the first season will cover the build-up to the war, but after it gets going, it really gets going. There are big losses on both sides, including several dragon-riders; there are still plenty of dragons in Westeros at this time, and they go at it tooth, nail, and fire breath. Sometime into the war, Team Rhaenyra — known as the Blacks — had more dragons than riders, and needed to find new soldiers to mount them. Addam and his brother Alyn were two such “dragonseeds,” with Addam claiming the dragon Seasmoke. Around this point, Corlys Velaryon — who was serving as Rhaenyra’s Hand of the Queen — petitioned that Addam have the taint of bastardry removed from him. This was granted, and Addam was made Corlys’ heir.
Addam fought loyally for Rhaenyra and helped the queen take back King’s Landing from the Greens, led by her half-brother Aegon II. But suspicion fell on him after two other dragonseeds — Ulf White and Hugh Hammer — betrayed the Blacks for the Greens. Rhaenyra wanted to lock Addam up, but Corlys warned his (maybe) son ahead of time, giving Addam the opportunity to escape on Seasmoke.
Determine to prove that not all bastards are turncloaks, Addam went about gathering an army to fight the Greens on Rhaenyra’s behalf, and ended up sacrificing his life to defeat her enemies and keep them from retaking King’s Landing. It’s a tragic, ironic story, and the person who does end up playing Addam — whether it’s Oscar Garland or someone else — will have a lot of juicy material to work with.
The first season of House of the Dragon premieres sometime in 2022.
Next. All the actors in House of The Dragon, and who they’re playing. dark
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