Ryan Condal on why only some House of the Dragon characters will change actors

The cast of teen characters on HBO’s Game of Thrones, like Arya Stark and Daenerys Targaryen, was played by the same actor from the pilot to the finale. Being able to set a precedent early on for House of the Dragon allowed Ryan Condal to make a decision that would set the tone for the show: having a set of two actors play any character who starts out in the show as a child.

During a recent interview with Insider, Ryan Condal explained that decision:

“It’s a conceit but I think it does work, having watched it a bunch of times. The people that are truly children in this are the ones that get recast. 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.”

Alicent Hightower, Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Laenor and Laena Velaryon have all been established child characters up until this point in the story. However, the storyline is about to jump forward by 10 years (by the mid of the season). This means that the same characters will be played by an entirely new set of actors.

What will this new dynamic mean for House Targaryen? Let us know in the comment section below. Also, one thing’s for sure: there will be plenty of drama on House of the Dragon (new episode premieres every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO).

Read more: 7 details you might have missed in House Of The Dragon episode 2