House of the Dragon season 2: The dynamic between the Cargyll twins is “really interesting”

The second season of House of the Dragon will bring a number of new players to the fore, including Rhaenyra Targaryen’s Kingsguard knight Ser Lorent Marbrand, played by actor Max Wrottesley. We met Ser Lorent briefly in season 1, but according to Wrottesley, we’ll see more of him in season 2.

Wrottesley came into House of the Dragon already a fan of progenitor show Game of Thrones, as he revealed on the Voice of Oldtown YouTube show. “You have a sense of this being a true historical epic, he said of House of the Dragon. “You could totally read it alongside Norman conquest stuff or Stephen and Matilda, which I think is kind of loosely where the Dance of the Dragons is based. And the only bit you really have to kind of stretch the imagination for is dragons, and I find that a very easy reach for me.”

"I love the world. I loved the show. I thought it was fantastic. So being able to kind of play in the sandbox is a lovely opportunity to go as a fan to go and do the stuff that you already are attracted to."

I love the world. I loved the show. I thought it was fantastic. So being able to kind of play in the sandbox is a lovely opportunity to go as a fan to go and do the stuff that you already are attracted to.

He’s right about Stephen and Matilda, by the way; the Dance of the Dragons is indeed loosely based on their historical fight for the throne of England back in the 12th century. Their story was very bloody and so is this one.

That said, I don’t think Stephen and Matilda were each protected by a different twin brother who was also a knight. But on House of the Dragon, rivals Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother Aegon Targaryen each have one of a set of twins working for them: the Kingsguard knight Arryk Cargyll fights for Aegon while his twin brother Erryk Cargyll, also a Kingsguard, fights for Rhaenyra.

We met Erryk and Arryk (what were their parents thinking with those names?) briefly in season 1, where they were played by real-life twin brothers Luke and Elliot Tittensor. If you’ve read George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, you know that these guys will clash before the end of the story; we may have even caught a glimpse in the season 2 trailer. Wrottesley touched on their story when asked to name his favorite member of the Kingsguard:

"Well, I'm gonna have to say, Sir Erryk because he's my buddy. [Elliot Tittensor and I have] spent a lot of time together and he's one of the loveliest human beings you'll ever come across in your life. And I think he's a fascinating character in the books as well. That dynamic between the twins is really, really interesting."

Look out for more of Ser Lorent and the Caryll twins when House of the Dragon season 2 premieres on HBO and Max sometime in the summer of 2024.