House of the Dragon director says HBO show ‘swapped’ two actor without viewers realising
Did you notice the change?
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
House of the Dragon tricked viewers with an actor switch-up that nobody seemed to notice.
The finale of the Game of Thrones prequel series aired on HBO and Sky Atlantic last month.
Upon the episode’s broadcast, viewers did not seem to notice that one of the characters was played by a different actor entirely.
The detail was revealed by director Greg Yaitanes who, during a podcast interview, said the producers had to improvise when actor Elliot Tittensor got Covid-19 while they were filming the episode.
Elliot appeared in the show alongside his twin brother Luke, as members of the kingsguard Sers Arryk and Erryk, respectively.
Fortunately, when Elliot was unable to perform his lines, Luke stepped in to play Erryk instead.
“There’s that scene, that big scene where Corlys comes down and they’re putting the markers on the table and the messenger comes in,” Yaitanes said on Entertainment Weekly podcast West of Westeros.
He said: “So we swapped him out with his brother.”
Yaitaines acknowleged that, should Elliot not have had a twin, the issue “would have killed us”.
Upon the broadcast of the finale, fans highlighted a disturbing yet significant detail about a violent birth scene involving Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy).
The series, which was a hit for HBO, will return for a second season in 2024.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments