House of the Dragon star spends time "begging" the showrunner not to change the book

Jacaerys Velaryon, aka Jace (Harry Collett) and Baela Targaryen (Bethany Antonia) got a bit more screentime in the second season of House of the Dragon than in the first, where we met them in their adult incanations just near the end. The two are counins as well as step-siblings. They're also engaged, because that's how it goes with Targaryens. We didn't see much of what they're like as a couple, but Bethany Antonia and Harry Collett are here to fill us in on how they function.

"They understand each other, which a lot of couples don’t on this show," Collett told Forbes. "Even if they do argue, it’s a very civilized argument, if that makes sense, so they’re very subtle about it. I feel like they both are going through so much, so they both try so hard not to upset each other and they talk out their feelings, which is really, really nice.”

Antonia adds that their comfort level comes from them having grown up together. "Baela experienced death at such a young age and that was visible for everyone to see, but people maybe don’t realize that Jacaerys also went through [death] at the exact same time with Harwin. The two of them have bonded over this loss of parenthood from the get-go, and I think that’s a really invaluable experience that we’ve seen them go through as such good friends. So, anything that came after that was always built on a really beautiful foundation.”

The second season ends with both Baela and Jace alive, but on a Game of Thrones show, anything can change on a moment's notice. Not to spoil too much, but there's a big battle on the horizon that could involved both of them, likely coming early in season 3. Will they come out of that unscathed?

“I think somebody told me if your time on the show comes to an end, you will be told beforehand. It’s not like at the cast script reading, you’ll find out there and then, and you have to go through sadness with loads of people next to you," Collett said. "You’ll be told prior - I think [showrunner Ryan Condal] told me that he calls it ‘The Death Call’ - you just see your phone buzzing and you’re like, No!”

As for Antonia, she read George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood ahead of time, so she knows there's some very cool things in Baela's future. It sounds like she's determined she get to play them. “It’s really funny with this one because it is an adaptation of a book, but it’s the world of Game of Thrones and Ryan has the power to do anything," she said. "So everyday, I spend [time] just like begging Ryan Condal to not change things!”

It's probably too early to be thinking about some of those big moments. For now, Collett and Antonia are ready with advice for their characters as we enter the long wait between seasons 2 and 3. “I would say to Jacaerys, Just chill out, man!" Collett said. "I know you’re going through a lot but you need to stop with the rational decisions, and just take a chill pill and just take each day as it comes.”

Antonia also wants Baela to be a bit less rational about everything. Her advice to her character would be "to keep her wits about her, and to kind of understand that people’s alliances are going to change very quickly around her and there might not be a reason for that. I think she’s still in a state where she wants reason for everything because she’s a child. I would say to understand that not all decisions are made rationally or logically.”

The third season of House of the Dragon will likely be along sometime in 2026.

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