House of the Dragon: Why Did The TV Series Change its Actors?

House of the Dragon Episode 6 comes with the most significant time jump, due to which some of the potent characters of the TV series needed to be recast.

Since the first episode of House of the Dragon, we have seen time jumps between the episodes. For instance, between Episode 1 and Episode 2, there was a time gap of six months, Episode 2 and Episode 3 came with a time gap of three years, and a two-year time jump was shown between Episode 3 to Episode 4.

Seeing the cast change in the latest episode of the TV show, fans are wondering about the reason behind such a significant actor reform.

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Why were the actors changed in House of the Dragon?

Not all actors of House of the Dragon have been changed; the TV series brings only a bunch of new actors who replaced the younger versions of the characters. The older actors, including King Viserys, Prince Daemon, and Ser Criston Cole, will be played by the same actors.

Milly Alcock and Emily Carey were previously seen as a young Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, so the new recast has become a point of discussion. However, if we think logically due to the 10-year time jump, the actors playing young versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent in the TV series cannot be made to look in their near 30s. Hence, why older actors have been brought in to portray the characters as they age.

Moreover, House of the Dragon Co-creator Ryan Condal talked to INSIDER about the same, where he stated:

“The people that are truly children in this are the ones that get recast.”

Along with Alicent and Rhaenyra, Laena and Laenor were also changed. However, these two characters have been changed three times previously.

Who are the new Rhaenyra, Alicent, Laena, and Laenor? Where have we seen them before?

Talking about the actors replacing the early cast, Milly Alcock was replaced by Emma D’Arcy, who played the role of Naomi Richards in Wanderlust and Astrid in Truth Seekers.

Olivia Cooke replaced Emily Joanna Carey as Alicent. The English actress is renowned for appearing as Meg Demoys in Blackout, Emma Decody in Bates Motel, and Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair.

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Matthew Carver portrayed Ser Laenor Velaryon for a short period, and then Theo Nate replaced the young actor. Finally, the adult version of the character is taken over by John Macmillan, who has previously portrayed Julian Mitchell in Webb’s sitcom, Back.

Laena Velaryon was played by Nova Foueillis-Mose at the early stage when King Viserys was looking for a new queen. In Episode 5, Savannah Steyn took over the role, and Episode 6 showed Nanna Blondell as Laena. Blondell is known for her work in Livet enligt Rosa, Beck, Andra Avenyn, and more.