Dragon House: Lost in character evolution? Don’t worry, we’ll explain!
October 10, 2022
8:00 AM
Warning, spoilers. It is recommended that you watch the eight available episodes of House of the Dragon before continuing with this article.
Game of Thrones fans gather every week for the first episodes of its spin-off Dragon House, which was a real success across the Atlantic on HBO and in France on OCS. Episode after episode, the community returns to Westeros and discovers characters from the past as this spin-off series centers on the Targaryens, roughly 170 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
With Game of Thrones, viewers have seen the cast grow and develop over eight seasons. But that’s definitely not the case with House of the Dragon, which will go on quite quickly for several decades. The first season does contain several time jumps, more or less long, and this affects the cast.
Many characters are affected by the time jump, including a ten-year-old boy in episode 6 and a six-year-old boy in episode 8. In case you get lost, with the time jumps, changes, and all the kids, here’s a look at some of the characters that changed during the inaugural season of House of Dragons.
Podcast – House of the Dragon: Incest, Marriage, and Casting… We rate the Game of Thrones spin-off mid-season:
Dragon House is available on OCS.
Rhaenyra Targaryen
Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen plays Milly Alcock (seen in Reckoning) in his younger years, during the first half of the inaugural season of House of Dragons. For the rest of the season (starting with episode 6), she plays a princess Emma D’Arcywhich we saw in the TV series Hannah and the Truth Seekers.
Alicent Hightower
Daughter of the Hand of the King and now Queen Alyssaint Hightower is portrayed by Emily Carrey (Wonder Woman, Tomb Raider) as a young woman for the first half of House of the Dragon. Like Renira’s character, Alicent changes interpreters starting in episode 6. He is now played by Olivia Cooke, seen in Bates Motel and Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster Ready Player One.
Laenor Velarion
Laenor Velarion, the son of Corly Velarion and Rhaenys Targaryen, is portrayed as a child by Matthew Carver (Doctor Who) and later as a teenager by Theo Nate (seen in Sean Bean’s Halftime). From the sixth episode, John McMillan (seen in the series Bubblegum, The Nevers and the film The Dig) is camped as an adult.
Leanna Velarion
Like her twin sister, Laenor, Leanna Velarion has three different cast members in Season 1 of House of the Dragon. She is played by Nova Fuelis-Moses when she was a child, and then briefly by Savannah Stein (seen in the Tunnel and Intergalactic series and Alexander Aya’s Crawl) when she was a teenager. From episode 6, she is camped as an adult by Nana Blondell (seen in the Real People series and the Marvel film Black Widow) until she kills herself when she realizes that her delivery will go smoothly.
Aegon II Targaryen
Aegon II Targaryen is the first son of King Viserys Targaryen and Alycent Hightower. Baby, he will be played by twins Jake and Rory Heard. From episode six, after a decade in time, Aegon II is portrayed by Ty Tennant (seen in the Tolkien film and the Doom Patrol series), who is none other than the son of actor David Holding. Starting in episode 8, the character changes performers once again after a six-year time jump. Tom Glynn-Carney (Dunkirk, Tolkien, The King) is now camped.
Aemond Targaryen
The second son of King Viserys Targaryen and Queen Alysent Hightower is named Aemond Targaryen. As a child, he was camped by Leo Ashton from Episode 6. In the next episode, he loses his eye after a fight with Renira’s sons. But losing that eye was the price to pay to gain the dragon’s claw. As of episode 8, Emond has grown well, to the point where he has surpassed his older brother, Aegon. He is now played by Evan Mitchell (known for his role as Osfert in The Last Kingdom series),
Helena Targaryen
Helena Targaryen, daughter of Queen Alycent Hightower and King Viserys Targaryen, first appears as a child in Episode 4. We next find her as a young girl in episode six as actress Evie Allen (Lost in London). From episode 8, Helena is portrayed by Fia Saban (known for her role as Aelfwin in The Last Kingdom) as a teenager.
Jacker’s Velarion
The first child of Rhaenyra Targaryen and Leanor Velarion is Jakerys Velarion. He is actually the biological son of Ser Harving Strong, who was Rhaenyra’s lover. As a child, he is played by Leo Hart. As of episode 8, he is now played by Harry Collette (The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle), after a six-year time jump.
Lucer’s Velarion
Rhaenyra and Laenor’s second son is named Velarion of Lucerne. He is also the biological son of Ser Harving Strong, who was actually Rhaenyra’s lover. He is played by Harvey Sadler as a child, but after episode 8 he is now portrayed by Elliot Griehault as a teenager.
Joffrey Velarion
We meet Rhaenyra and Lenore’s third child in episode 6 when he has just been born. His name is Joffrey Velarion, and he is also the biological son of Ser Harving Strong, who was Rhaenyra’s lover, in reality. Rhaenyra and Laenor’s three children are at the center of court rumours, although they are officially recognized as Laenor Velarion’s children. In episode 8, Joffrey is six years old.
Baela Targaryen
Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velarion had two daughters. The first of these is Baela Targaryen, played by Shani Smithhurst as a child. The young woman is portrayed by Bethany Antonia (Don’t Turn Away).
Reena Targaryen
The second daughter of Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velarion is named Raena Targaryen. As a child, he was camped by Eva Osei-Gerning. Now a teenager, Reena is played by Phoebe Campbell.
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
