House of the Dragon: a look at the cast and characters of the new HBO series

The 'House of the Dragon' has begun on August 21 after a much-anticipated build-up. The series focuses on the House Targaryen rule - 200 years before 'Game of Thrones' takes place.

Photo: HBO

As with 'Game of Thrones', this series sees some new faces but also some well-recognised names. They play the fascinating characters from the George RR Martin book series.

Daemon Targaryen is a very complex character whose ambition leads him to make some very strong choices, thus being a catalyst in many of the events in the series. The younger brother of Viserys, Daemon gives up his ruling of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea to take his place at his brother’s side - only to be next in line to the throne when Viserys fathers no sons. Daemon finally marries Rhaenyra, his niece, and proclaims her as Queen - leading to one of the biggest controversies seen in Westeros.

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The versatile actor Matt Smith plays Daemon Targaryen. He has proved himself capable of a range of different roles from 'Doctor Who' to most recently, Prince Philip in 'The Crown.'

The real-life setting is magical. Here we see the character Lord Corlys Velaryon looking out over the seas. Known as the Sea Snake, he will definitely play a big role in the series, being a Lord of the Tides, Master of Driftmark, head of House Velaryon, husband of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. And then, during the Dance of the Dragons, he became Hand to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen.

Photo: HBO

The British actor with roots from Barbados has played some good roles in famous British TV series, but is perhaps best-known for his role in 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'. During the 'House of the Dragon' cast selection process, Toussaint even auditioned for the role by reading Tywin Lannisters' lines from GOT, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Platinum blonde hair rules the screen this year. The first cast member to look out for is the young Rhaenyra Targaryen. Rhaenyra is the firstborn child of Viserys I Targaryen and is officially made his heir after the death of her brothers at a young age. This would be Westeros’ first Queen. The teenage Rhaenyra allows us to see her strong bond and relationship with Alicent Hightower.

Photo: HBO

Milly Alcock (pictured), who joined the cast as the young princess, is an Australian actress. She played Meg in the Sky series 'Upright' and has certainly picked up experience from her previous TV roles. Surprising fact? While filming, she never even met the actress who played her older self.

Rhaenyra's first husband, with whom she has children, is killed and she decides to marry Daemon (Matt Smith), her uncle. He supports her claim to the throne even when her half brother, Aegon (for her father remarried after the death of her mother) tried to gain Kingship. This is the Green (Aegon) vs Black (Rhaenyra) Dance of the Dragons Civil War.

Photo: HBO

An older Rhaenyra is played by Emma D’Arcy, who is best known for her role as Astrid in 'Truth Seekers,' a series released last year that follows a team of investigators tracking the supernatural. Prior to 'House of the Dragon', London born D’Arcy finished shooting the feature film ‘Mothering Sunday’ alongside Olivia Colman, Colin Firth, Josh O’Connor, and Odessa Young.

The strong bond these two have as teenagers gets ever more complicated as rivalry between Alicent and Rhaenyra grows. Both women fight for the Iron Throne; even more so when Alicent’s sons are cast aside for the firstborn ‘girl’.

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At just 9 years old, Emily Carey jumped onto the stage in the hit show, Shrek The Musical. She had a repeat role in the British TV show, 'Casualty' and from there jumped to Netflix where she had a prominent role in 'Get Even'. You may also recognise her as young Diana in 'Wonder Woman'.

Alicent Hightower is the second wife of Viserys and the daughter of his Hand and closest advisor, Otto. Viserys choses her as his new bride, despite the small council advising him not to do so.

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Olivia Cooke takes on the role of Viserys’ second wife with an eye on ruling Westeros. Perhaps best known for her role as Art3mis/Samantha in 'Ready Player One', Cooke initially caught the attention of critics when she played Emma in the A&E series, Bates Motel. From Greater Manchester, she had never watched an episode of 'Game of Thrones' before she was offered the role of Alicent.

The disappointing ending of GOT has definitely been playing on Olivia Cooke’s mind. She told the Telegraph that, although she had never watched an episode, she knew what was going to happen: “I saw too many clips, just being alive at the time, so I knew what was going to happen.” This has led her to be a little anxious about the 'House of the Dragon' series, saying, “I’m a bit nervous about the new one. You’re never gonna please everyone, so I’ve just got to not listen to that stuff.”

King Viserys I Targaryen is the grandson of Jaehaerys I Targaryen, one of the greatest Kings in Westeros history. Viserys was chosen as the new King by the Great Council, which is how the Game of Thrones series ended with Bran being elected as the new ruler.

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King Viserys is played by Pad*y Considine, an actor from Staffordshire. Already a name in the acting world, Considine is best known for his roles in 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Cinderella Man.' He is also a writer and director, having won a BAFTA for his first directed feature film, 'Tyrannosaur' in 2011.

Otto Hightower is Hand of the King, but he got on the wrong side of King Viserys when he pushed for his daughter’s son to be made the heir instead of Rhaenyra. When he returns to his post, he declares Aegon as the new King and drives the lead up to the Dance of the Dragons.

Photo: HBO

Rhys Ifans plays Otto, Alicent’s father. Most will recall Ifans from the hit film 'Notting Hill.' He has also had prominent roles in 'The Amazing Spider-Man' and 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1.'

Ryan Corr, Jefferson Hall, and David Horovitch are also in the production. Ryan Corr plays Ser Harwin ‘Breakbones’ Strong, the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms.
Jefferson Hall is Lord Jason Lannister, the Lord of Casterly Rock and twin to Ser Tyland Lannister.
David Horovitch takes on the role of Grand Maester Mellos, a voice of reason and trusted advisor to King Viserys.

Photo: Twitter/@HouseofDragon

Graham McTavish, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, Gavin Spokes are also part of the cast.
Graham McTavish plays Ser Harrold Westerling, a member of the Kingsguard and a paragon of chivalry and honor.
Matthew Needham takes on the role of Larys Strong, the younger son of Master of Laws Lyonel Strong.
Bill Paterson joins the cast as Lord Lyman Beesbury, the Lord of Honeyholt and Master of Coin on King Viserys's small council.
Gavin Spokes plays Lord of Harrenhal, Lord Lyonel Strong. He's also Master of Laws to King Viserys.

Photo: Twitter / @HouseofDragon

Of course, the cast we can not forget are the dragons. The trailer showed what many have been waiting to see - the dragons themselves. The footage, as they sweep through King's Landing (and hatch from eerie dragon eggs), proved to audiences that HBO has pulled out all the stops.

Photo: HBO

Everybody knows Viserys’ dragon - the great Balerion the Dread whose skull is kept in the crypts of the Red Keep (as seen in GOT). It is known that Viserys was the last dragon rider of this incredible dragon so expect to see some super CGI effects in this series.

Photo: HBO