Milly Alcock plays young Rhaenyra Targaryen. 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.

Viserys is played by Paddy Considine, who was born on September 5, 1973. 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.

Young Alicent Hightower is played by Emily Carey, who was born on April 30, 2003. 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.

Young Rhaenyra Targaryen is played by Milly Alcock, who was born on April 11, 2000. 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.

Daemon is played by Matt Smith, who was born on October 28, 1982. 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.

Criston is played by Fabien Frankel, who was born on April 6, 1994. 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.

Adult Alicent is played by Olivia Cooke, who was born on December 27, 1993. HBO and Getty Images

The adult version of Alicent will also be in her late 20s, just like Cooke.

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.

The adult version of Rhaenyra is played by Emma D’Arcy, who was born in 1992. 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.