It sounds like Graham McTavish will return for House of the Dragon season 3
By Daniel Roman
Right now we're in the long night between new seasons of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon. The show's second season wrapped up this past summer with a finale that set the stage for several big events in the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, with a Triarchy fleet setting sail for the Gullet to break Corlys Velaryon's blockade on King's Landing and armies on the move in the Riverlands and the Reach. When House of the Dragon returns for season 3, it'll kick off in spectacular fashion.
It will also include at least one familiar face who sat out season 2: Ser Harrold Westerling, the former Lord Commander of the Kingsguard played by Outlander star Graham McTavish. In George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, Westerling dies before the Dance of the Dragons kicks off, but House of the Dragon opted to have him resign from the Kingsguard instead, leaving in disgust during the Green Council coup rather than sully his white cloak by taking part in any backstabbing against Rhaenyra.
Since Westerling isn't even around in the Dance of the Dragons in Martin's book, it's been an open question whether we'd ever see McTavish's character back on screen. But in a recent interview with The Nerd Shepherd at Heroes Dutch Comic Con, McTavish seemed to confirm that he had House of the Dragon season 3 on his filming schedule. "I believe season three will start filming in March next year," he said. Why would McTavish care when House of the Dragon is filming if he wasn't a part of it? It may not be him saying "I'm in House of the Dragon season 3," but it's close enough to be worth discussing.
Graham McTavish wasn't in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom because of House of the Dragon
McTavish's statement that the show will begin filming in March of 2025 lines up with everything else we've heard, so it sounds like he's in the know. Of course, now we'll be wondering how Ser Harrold Westerling comes back into the picture. Will he appear to serve Rhaenyra? Will he help Otto Hightower out of his dicey predicament in the Reach? There are no shortage of options.
McTavish is a very busy actor. For example, he also talked about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the second Aquaman film starring Jason Momoa which came out in late 2023. McTavish played the Atlantean King Atlan in the first Aquaman movie but didn't appear in the second. Now we know why: because he was busy filming House of the Dragon.
"Yes, I was actually going to participate, but I was doing House of the Dragon at the same time," he explained. "They were trying to coordinate the schedules of Aquaman and House of the Dragon so that I could do both. It seemed like it would work for a while, but not in the end."
Graham McTavish wants to join Star Wars, Marvel, or Harry Potter
McTavish has spread himself among the big genre franchises like few other actors. He starred as Dougal Mackenzie in Outlander, appeared as Ser Harrold Westerling in House of the Dragon, played Dwalin the dwarf in The Hobbit movies, and currently stars as the spymaster Sigismund Dijkstra in The Witcher. What's left? According to McTavish, Star Wars, Harry Potter, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all of which he sounds game to join.
"I grew up with Star Wars, and I was also a huge fan of Marvel comics. I still have my comics from the 1960s. So I would love to be part of those universes, and my kids would love it if I appeared in the Harry Potter universe. I was a big fan of the books every year as soon as they came out, and I loved them, I am open to all those worlds. I would be very surprised if I could do them all, but even one would be great."
Perhaps there's a chance of that on the horizon. After all, HBO is currently making a new Harry Potter series, and there's little doubt that an actor of McTavish's caliber would bring a lot to the table. The Nerd Shepherd suggested he'd make a good wizard for that series, and he sounded pleased: "Thank you. I'd love to do that."
If McTavish's track record is any indication, I wouldn't be surprised to see him turn up in any of those three franchises. But first, we'll see him in The Witcher season 4 and House of the Dragon season 3.
dark. Next. More actors join the cast of new Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. More actors join the cast of new Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.