'House of the Dragon' Fans Take Issue With Young Actors Recasting
Fans are simply not ready to say goodbye to some of the actors.
Due to the timeline of events in 'House of the Dragon ', some of the characters are portrayed by different actors in order to display their age accurately. Among such characters are Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, who have been portrayed by Milly Alcock and Emily Carey for four episodes now.
Fans appeared to have fallen in love with the two young actresses so much they are simply not ready to let them go. Moreover, many people are now taking issue with the decision to cast several actors for one character – especially when the young versions are doing such a good job.
"They look great but I am confused as to why even bother? They couldn't afford the budget to age them? The current actors are doing such a great job. They look so similar, I couldn't imagine it would be so hard to make the age adjustments." – @ProChanceW
To be fair, the older actors have been cast almost perfectly: the resemblance is so striking one could hardly distinguish one from another. However, this also seems to be an argument against recasting: if there is no major difference, why change the actors at all?
"Before the series, I had serious issues keeping Emily and Olivia apart in some trailer shots. They looks so much alike. For Milly and Emma, it was bit easier because Emma looks more mature to my eyes. They really casted extremely well for this." – @BooksonFire_DE
In the case of Carey's Alicent, some fans think that she could definitely have stayed on the show without being replaced by Olivia Cooke. When it comes to Alcock being replaced by Emma D'Arcy, one thing fans will be surely missing is Milly's chemistry with Matt Daemon.
"Wow that's some awesome casting! I'm sure the new Rhaenyra will be just as great, it's just hard to imagine anyone other than Milly Alcock playing her. The chemistry between her and Matt Smith is superb." – @Todd_The_Fox
With Milly and Emily set to make their final appearances in episode 5, it's only natural to expect the time jump to take place at some point between episodes 5 and 6. This is when the actual story of 'House of the Dragon' begins, setting up the stage for the Dance of the Dragons and the gruesome civil war among the Targaryens for the right to sit on the Iron Throne.
Four episodes into the show, we can easily tell that the older actors will have big shoes to fill, as Alcock and Carey enjoy fans' accolades for their compelling performance throughout the first part of the season.
'House of the Dragon' is currently streaming on HBO Max. New episodes arrive every Sunday.