Like Game of Thrones before it, House of the Dragon features a huge ensemble cast that spans multiple generations. There are older, established actors like Paddy Considine and Matt Smith, both of whom have been appearing on TV and in movies for years. Then there are the younger cast members like Milly Alcock and Emily Carey, whose careers are no doubt getting an enormous jolt of momentum thanks to the show.
Alcock, who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen, is 22-years-old, while Carey, who plays Rhaenyra’s best friend/new step-mother Alicent Hightower, is 19. They’re not all that far removed from the ages of actors like Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke at the start of Game of Thrones, and both of them have gone on to become enormous celebrities.
Smith is perhaps the biggest name attached to House of the Dragon. He plays Daemon Targaryen, one of the most complex characters on the show. Since he’s been at this whole acting thing for quite a while now, he sees the writing on the wall for his young co-stars, many of whom are turning in performances that are every bit as riveting as their seasoned scene partners. “A lot of the young actors in it are going to emerge as stars I think,” Smith said during a roundtable interview ahead of the season premiere, which was attended by Insider.
Long hours filming House of the Dragon brought out “wonderful performances”
According to Smith, filming on House of the Dragon required exceptionally long days, which allowed the cast and crew to really get to know one another. Given the show’s intense source material, they tried to keep things light.
“I’ll say that the cast got together and there was a great sense of camaraderie,” Smith said. “We laughed our asses off because you have to — even if it was just laughing at Fabian trying to sit down in the armor. That gave me such joy every day. Poor Fabian. Bless him. He was in the armor the whole time and that’s not easy, but there were some wonderful big characters on that set.”
Frankel — who is 28 years-old — plays the Kingsguard knight Ser Criston Cole, another character we’re going to get to know a bit better as the series goes on. Yet for as long and grueling as those hours of shooting could be, Smith noted that they brought out “wonderful performances,” including from costars like Alcock.
House of the Dragon premieres new episodes on HBO and HBO Max Sundays at 9:00 p.m. EST.
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