How Much Is ‘House Of The Dragon’ About To Age Its Recast Characters?

Games How Much Is ‘House Of The Dragon’ About To Age Its Recast Characters? Paul Tassi Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. News and opinion about video games, television, movies and the internet. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! Sep 20, 2022, 09:44am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin House of the Dragon HBO This week, House of the Dragon said goodbye to two of its biggest powerhouses, the young actresses playing Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, Milly Alcock and Emily Carey. While they had the roles for five episodes, they will be replaced in the series going forward by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke respectively. So, what’s going on here? Why did this happen at all, and how much are these characters supposed to be getting aged up? It’s a bit complicated, given the ages of the characters, the actresses and the way time has flowed in the series.

In the pilot, Rhaenyra and Alicent were both meant to be 15, but in the second to last episode when Daemon returned, it was said it had been four years, so they were 19. LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 15: Milly Alcock attends the “House Of The Dragon” Sky Group Premiere at . .

. [+] Leicester Square on August 15, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Lia Toby/Getty Images) Getty Images Milly Alcock, Rhaenyra, is 22 in real life.

She’s being replaced by Emma D’Arcy who is 30. The time jump in episode 6 is supposed to be 10 years, so Rhaneryra should be around 29. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: Emma D’Arcy attends HBO Original Drama Series “House Of The .

. . [+] Dragon” World Premiere at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on July 27, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.

(Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images) Getty Images Emily Carey, Alicent, is 19 in real life. She’s being replaced by Olivia Cooke who is 28, and presumably, Alicent is also supposed to be around 29. British actress Emily Carey poses on the red carpet upon arrival to attend the HBO original drama .

. . [+] series “House of the Dragon” premiere at Leicester Square Gardens, in London, on August 15, 2022.

(Photo by HOLLIE ADAMS / AFP) (Photo by HOLLIE ADAMS/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images MORE FOR YOU ‘Demon Slayer’ Season 2 Finally Has An Actual 2021 Release Date Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Not A Sure Thing, Says Director ‘Genshin Impact’ Still Refuses To Increase Anniversary Rewards, Despite Fan Outcry So the original actresses were playing a touch older than their characters for most of their appearances, while the new actresses are right around the age they’re supposed to be. LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 30: Olivia Cooke attends the premiere of “Slow Horses” at Regent Street . .

. [+] Cinema on March 30, 2022 in London, England. “Slow Horses” is available to stream on Apple TV+ from Friday April 1.

(Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Apple) Dave Benett/Getty Images for Apple It’s a pretty unusual situation, as the show is trying to follow what is nearly a 30 year arc of the books, though the roles will not be recast again it seems after D’Arcy and Cookie come on board. But for many fans, it does feel a bit like getting to know the young Starks in the first few episodes of Game of Thrones, and then having those actors replaced.

While Game of Thrones did progress through many years by the end, it did not recast its young actors with older ones, and instead we saw young actors like Isaac Wright, Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner grow up over the course of the nearly 10 year run of the show. That will not be the case with Alcock and Carey here, with lead Milly Alcock specifically being rocketed to superstardom by her role here, something she’s said in interviews has made her a bit uncomfortable, as she was almost entirely unknown before this. Matt Smith, who isn’t going anywhere, has praised the young cast in interviews and predicted great things for their future in in.

But the show will certainly miss them, even though the actresses who are replacing them are also talented. My guess is the show will continue to thrive, though the recasting may be a bummer for many fans. Follow me on Twitter , YouTube , Facebook and Instagram .

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