HBO; Mike Marsland/WireImage
The young adults starring on HBO’s “House of the Dragon” are older than their teenage characters.
Rhaenyra and Alicent started at 14 years old, while Milly Alcock and Emily Carey are in their 20s.
Matt Smith is 39 years old, and his character Daemon Targaryen is in his late 20s in the pilot.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for “House of the Dragon” season one, episode four.
King Viserys Targaryen is likely somewhere around his late 30s or early 40s in “House of the Dragon.” Actor Paddy Considine is 49 years old.
HBO and Getty Images
Considine sports a blonde wig and other make-up that ages his character up slightly over the first four episodes.
During an interview with Insider ahead of the season one premiere, Considine said he thought of his character as “middle-aged,” and then smiled and called Viserys a “silver fox.”
Alicent Hightower is 14 years old at the start of “House of the Dragon,” and actor Emily Carey was around 18 years old during filming.
HBO and Getty Images
Alicent is one of the major characters from author George R.R. Martin’s “Fire and Blood” book whose age was changed for the TV show.
In the books, Alicent is already in her late teens when this section of the history starts — not a young girl who is the same age as Rhaenyra.
Emily Carey confirmed with Insider that Alicent starts out in “House of the Dragon” as 14 years old, which puts her around 18 years old by episode four.
Alicent Hightower is 14 years old at the start of “House of the Dragon,” and Milly Alcock was 21 during filming.
HBO; Mike Marsland/WireImage
Just like young Alicent, Rhaenyra is 14 at the start of the show and ages up to almost 18 years old over the course of the first four episodes.
Milly Alcock was 21 years old when “House of the Dragon” season one was filming.
Prince Daemon Targaryen is in his late 20s in the pilot episode, while actor Matt Smith is 39 years old.
HBO and Getty Images
By the time episode four of “House of the Dragon” made another jump ahead in time, Daemon should be around his early 30s.
In an interview with Insider, “House of the Dragon” showrunner Ryan Condal said he thinks of Daemon as in “his late 20s and then moves to his late 40s — that’s the sort of range.”
When Insider asked actor Matt Smith and his costar Fabien Frankel about their ages, they both laughed and said together: “I couldn’t tell you.”
“I think they’re ageless,” Smith joked.
But when we talked to Condal, he had a similar line of thinking.
“We sort of approached Daemon as the ageless one,” Condal said. “He’s just one of those guys where when you see him 10 years later, it looks like he hasn’t aged a day. Despite the way Daemon lives, which would age anybody.”
He continued: “We didn’t really get the actors to focus too much on specific days and ages because we thought it could be confusing.”
Ser Criston Cole starts out in his early 20s, and actor Fabien Frankel was about 28 during filming.
HBO and Getty Images
“Cole is in his early 20s, I would say very early 20s when we first meet him,” Condal told Insider. “And then he ages into his late 30s.”
“When Cole comes into the storyline, he’s optimistic and full of hope, he’s a bit of an Arthurian knight — the pauper knight that’s walked in from the Hinterlands but he has massive talent,” he continued.
But when the show jumps ahead and the character is older, Condal says Cole has spent more time ensconced at court, and his worldview shifts.
“He’s possibly more cynical and world-weary and world-wise,” Condal said. “And those are the sorts of things I think are more helpful to the actor versus playing a specific age, if that makes sense.”
Later in season one, the show is going to make a significant time jump of about 10 years. Alicent will then be played by Olivia Cooke, who is 28 years old.
HBO and Getty Images
Condal told Insider that a decision was made early on in production to have at least two actors play any character who starts out in the show as a child.
“It’s a conceit but I think it does work, having watched it a bunch of times,” Condal said during a roundtable interview with Insider ahead of the series premiere.
“The people that are truly children in this are the ones that get recast,” he said. “And the people that are already adults when we meet them, we age them up through hair and makeup and sometimes the actors change their voice.”
Rhaenyra will also be played by a new actor when the character jumps to her late 20s. Emma D’Arcy, who is 30, takes over the role at that point.
HBO and Getty Images
Fans have yet to see D’Arcy step into Rhaenyra’s shoes, but when it happens you can see the more matured version of the heir to the Iron Throne.
“House of the Dragon” airs Sundays on HBO at 9 p.m. ET. For more on the series, read our breakdown of the best 11 details you might have missed in the latest episode.
News
The Last of Us Part 2 Player Discovers Mind-Blowing Hidden Detail in the Game’s Final Song!
A perceptive Last of Us Part 2 player has found a cool and unique detail that has been hidden within the game’s final song, which includes a chord from the soundtrack that doesn’t fully play out to signify Ellie’s trauma. Since Naughty…
This ‘The Last of Us 2’ Character Deserves a Bill and Frank-Style Deep Dive in Season 2
One of the most beloved series in modern gaming, The Last of Us‘ strong narrative focus ironically makes it a tricky franchise to adapt to live-action. HBO, Craig Mazin, and the rest of the crew behind The Last of Us needed to strike…
Alien: Romulus Shares One Unexpected Connection to The Last of Us
Following its release, it’s clear that Alien: Romulus has been a major success. Director Fede Álvarez pulled off the seemingly impossible and made another Alien installment that most of the franchise’s fans approve of (a task that seemed particularly daunting after the massively divisive Prometheus and Alien:…
How Did PlayStation Cancel ‘The Last of Us’ Online but Keep ‘Concord’ Alive?
PlayStation has dropped the ball 11 days after its release, in a wildly unprecedented move, PlayStation has shut down Concord and removed it from sale. It has also issued full refunds to everyone who purchase the game digitally for PS5 and PC. Those…
‘The Last of Us’ Fan Discovers a Themed Drink Inspired by the Series at a Local Bar
One fan of The Last of Us got a nice surprise when, at the Library Bar in the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, they noticed a Cordyceps-inspired drink had been added to the menu. There are many ghastly creatures in Naughty Dog’s The…
‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Episode Count Unveiled! Craig Mazin & Neil Druckmann Reveal Why and Tease Future Seasons
(L-R) Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Craig Mazin and Neil DruckmannLiane Hentscher / HBO / Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images EXCLUSIVE: It’s a case of good news-bad news for The Last of Us fans who have been patiently waiting more than a year for…
End of content
No more pages to load