The Toughest Part of Filming House of the Dragon is Unexpectedly Hilarious
Sometimes things that look absolutely horrifying on screen are quite fun to work — but that doesn't mean it's easy.
House of the Dragon is a show that predictably involves quite a lot of dragon action going on. Given that HBO understandably had no other choice but to create the winged beasts with the help of CGI, the actors had to overcome some obstacles when filming the scenes that involved dragons.
In a short Instagram reel that delves into the process of shooting the ninth episode, titled The Green Council, the actors and other members of the creative team recalled some of the toughest and funniest moments of filming.
"Any time there's a dragon in the scene, all hilarity ensues among the cast because, of course, there's never a dragon," explains Rhys Ifans, the actor who portrays Otto Hightower.
Fabien Frankel, who plays Ser Criston Cole, agrees with the sentiment, revealing that "trying to act opposite a man holding a stick with a ball on it, with a dragon" was quite challenging. Tom Glynn-Carney, the actor behind Aegon II Targaryen, adds that it "takes every ounce of creative imagination to make it work".
When the crew was filming the scene when the Greens were confronted by Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys, it was in fact quite hilarious, even though the scene itself is one of the most dramatic moments of the show. Bursting from beneath the floor, Meleys interrupts the coronation of Aegon and only Rhaenys' moral choice prevents the entire Green team from being burned alive right there.
The reel reveals that Olivia Cooke ( Alicent Hightower) had to watch out for instructions from the SFX team as they guided her through the dragon's behaviour. When Meleys was supposed to breathe on her as she roared, a member of the SFX team would "blow the dragon's breath" on Olivia's hair in order to make things look real.
No matter how hilarious it was to film, the final result is still quite intimidating, with the Red Queen stealing the show in episode 9 — and stealing Aegon's crowd. But the tensest dragon scenes are yet to come, with the final episode set to involve at least one major dragon action sequence with Vhagar and Arrax, ridden by Aemond and Lucerys respectively.
The finale will premiere on HBO Max this Sunday, October 23.