Dragons take over Taormina: House of the Dragon season 3 premieres beneath Mount Etna

The 72nd Taormina Film Festival opened in spectacular fashion with a screening of the first episode of House of the Dragon season 3 at the ancient Greek Theater of Taormina, where nearly 5,000 fans gathered beneath the looming silhouette of Mount Etna for one of the most evocative premieres imaginable.

Following the season’s world premiere in London, the Italian event marked the latest stop on HBO’s global rollout for the highly anticipated third season. Cast members Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon), Harry Collett (Jacaerys Velaryon), Bethany Antonia (Baela Targaryen), Phoebe Campbell (Rhaena Targaryen), and Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon Targaryen) were all in attendance, walking the red carpet, participating in press events, and offering intriguing hints about what’s to come.

The screening was introduced by a rendition of the series’ iconic opening theme, with a live orchestra playing on stage and light effects projecting past scenes, flames, and dragons flying all around the theater. It truly set the perfect atmosphere for a House of the Dragon premiere.

Sheepstealer theory confirmed

One of the biggest revelations of the day may have come before the screening even began. During the opening press conference, Phoebe Campbell was asked which dragon from the series they would choose for themselves.

“Sheepstealer!” Campbell replied. “He’s been set on fire. I think that’s very topical, especially being next to a volcano. I like my ugly little dragon.”

While fans have long suspected Rhaena’s story would intersect with the wild dragon, Campbell’s answer all but confirmed that Sheepstealer will play a major role in season 3 as Rhaena’s dragon.

Later on the red carpet, we asked Campbell what advice they would give Rhaena this season.

“Let it go! Try to decipher between ego and duty,” they said. Campbell explained that what Rhaena needs is balance — "What’s actually something that you want to explore in yourself versus what you want to prove to everyone else.”

Later on the red carpet, when the conversation inevitably turned back to dragons and flying, Campbell carefully dodged spoilers while visibly realizing they may have already said too much.

“Listen! It's not even a spoiler—do I or don't I fly? Truly,” they gingerly said. Nice try, Phoebe.

Episode 6 keeps coming up

There was one recurring answer throughout the evening. When asked about their favorite episode of season 3, multiple cast members independently pointed toward Episode 6.

“I keep answering this question with Episode 6,” Campbell admitted. Harry Collett also named Episode 6 as his favorite of the season, although moments later he created some confusion by calling the season 3 premiere his favorite episode of the entire series. (Harry must love season 3 very much.)

One thing is clear: fans may want to keep a close eye on Episode 6 as the season unfolds.

Jace is still a brooding teenager

No character has been forced to grow up faster than Jacaerys Velaryon, but according to Harry Collett, don’t expect him to suddenly become the perfect leader.

When asked whether Jace is “usually doing the right thing,” Collett said: “I think Jace is one of those characters where he can be a really good leader sometimes and then just be a grumpy teenager. So yeah, I think he’s 50-50 all the time.”

And that duality, Collett explained, is part of what makes the role so enjoyable to play.

When asked what advice he would give Jace knowing everything that’s ahead, his answer was immediate: “Listen to Mother.”

“You could apply that to every situation ever,” I added.

“Exactly, mothers are always right,” Collett said. Before continuing his red carpet walk, he quickly added: “Listen to Emma D’Arcy!”

Considering how we expect the Battle of the Gullet to go down, Jace may want to take that one seriously.

Corlys Velaryon deserves a break

If anyone in Westeros has earned a vacation, it is Corlys Velaryon. We asked Steve Toussaint what he would say to his character heading into season 3, and his answer quickly became one of the most relatable moments of the day.

“Relax. I know you're hurting, but it does get better,” he said. After all, Corlys has spent much of the series grieving—first his children Laena and Laenor, then his wife Rhaenys, the Queen Who Never Was.

“Poor Corlys,” Toussaint laughed. “He’s grieving for everybody! Everybody just keeps dying! Wherever he goes, just dying, dying, dying…” He added some gestures to take his point across.

His final message to the Sea Snake was optimistic: “The sun will come up tomorrow, and it will be a better day.” But whether Westeros—and co-creater Ryan Condal—agrees remains to be seen.

Aegon is going to be “unpredictable”

Tom Glynn-Carney managed to describe his character in season 3 using a single word. He simply chose: “Unpredictable.” Given where audiences last left Aegon, that single word could mean almost anything—and that's probably exactly the point.

Before the screening, Glynn-Carney also reflected on the unique experience of playing a character across multiple seasons. “I've never continuously played a character over several seasons,” he said. “It’s really great because you get to investigate the character in more depth, you get to know the character better.”

The result, he said, is a richer understanding of who these characters become over time. “It’s been a great joy of my career,” he concluded.

Baela's story takes an “unexpected” turn

Bethany Antonia was equally cryptic when discussing Baela’s season 3 journey. We asked her what word she would use to describe her character’s arc, and she answered: “Unexpected.”

That tease immediately raised our eyebrows. Given the drastic change House of the Dragon will (almost certainly) make to Rhaena’s story, an “unexpected” turn in her twin sister’s journey sounds slightly… alarming. Harry Collett might’ve warned us—he did tell us, “They can always change things.”

Antonia also revealed that some of the most unusual filming experiences this season came during dragon-riding sequences.

“It's such a strange way of working because you film the whole thing by yourself,” she explained. “We never cross over. We never get to see each other on set.”

As a result, entire battle sequences are often performed in isolation, with actors only seeing the finished spectacle months later alongside audiences.

Why fantasy stories endure

Among the evening’s most thoughtful moments came when Phoebe Campbell was asked why fantasy stories continue to resonate across generations.

“I think it continues to have an impact and immerse people because it’s the everyday things just put on the extreme,” they said. “It’s something we all wish we could live. We wish we could delve into emotions in these big ways—and we wish we could be on dragons.”

For Campbell, the appeal lies in the genre’s ability to contain everything at once. “It’s so joyful and so miserable and it’s everything in one. And I don’t think we get that every day.”

Standing in a 2,300-year-old theater beneath an active volcano while discussing dragons, it’s difficult for us to argue with that assessment.

House of the Dragon season 3 premieres June 21 on HBO and HBO Max.

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