Considering at least nearly half of the cast of HBO Max’s new Sunday night stalwart series House of the Dragon are sporting some serious platinum blonde wigs, it will come as no surprise that many are wondering, “just where did I see that actor before?” But as it turns out, the Game of Thrones prequel has assembled a group of actors, both veteran and up-and-coming actors. While this may be the first time you remember seeing them, these are either folks you’ve seen before or are almost certain to see again.
Here’s a deep look at the actors who populate the earlier years of Westeros and an answer to why they might seem familiar.
Paddy Considine / King Viserys I Targaryen
Considine is practically an institution in the UK, but is lesser know in the States, where he is probably best known for his role of Father John Hughes in Peaky Blinders. Considine is reputed to be very secretive about his private life, but he may have to give up a bit of his anonymity now that he’s so prominently featured in an international hit series. “It’s not that you don’t want to take on the role, but there’s a big chance that you’ll lose your anonymity. I’m relatively unscathed. I move around very stealthily, and I don’t get recognized. I don’t get any of that kind of stuff. My fear was, ‘What if that changes?’ I live a pretty quiet existence, as much as I can. But you equally can’t go into something like this that’s already established and be surprised that there will be global interest in the show,” he told Collider.
Matt Smith / Prince Daemon Targaryen
Smith is easily the most recognizable cast member of House of the Dragon, given his extensive stint as the Eleventh Doctor aka Doctor Who, not to mention his portrayal of a young Prince Phillip in the 2016 season of The Crown, which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Smith almost declined the role until he found out he would have a chance at playing Considine’s brother. “I became aware that Paddy Considine was doing the show as well,” Smith told IndieWire. “He’d already been offered the role of King Viserys, and I was such a huge admirer of Paddy’s and I’d always wanted to work with him. So that was a real draw.”
Milly Alcock / Princess Rhaenyra
While Alcock is already well-known to Australian audiences for her roles in Janet King, A Place to Call Home, Les Norton, and The Gloaming, her role as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen has exposed her to a new audience of international proportions. Speaking of her role in the first few episodes and her inevitable replacement by actor Emma D’Arcy when she grows up, Alcock confesses “I was surprised,” and regarding her newly fledged fandom told The Hollywood Reporter, “I was just really shocked.”
Rhys Ifans / Ser Otto Hightower
Ifans’ Otto Hightower may not be recognizable to fans who know him from his work as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 or the Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man or Grigori Rasputin in The King’s Man, but it just speaks to the Welsh actor’s chameleon-like acting abilities. The dour and calculating King’s Hand is certainly markedly different from his portrayal of flamboyant placekicker and inveterate gambler Nigel Gruff in The Replacements.
Steve Toussaint / Lord Corlys Velaryon
Viewers may recognize Toussaint from any one of the dozens of roles the hard-working journeyman actor has portrayed since beginning his career in the mid-’90s. Toussaint has played mid-sized roles in film and television for over 25 years now, but his role as Lord Corlys Velaryon aka The Sea Snake in House of the Dragon is undoubtedly his highest profile casting to date. They may not recognize him as easily in real life, though, as his clean-shaven head is a far cry from Corlys’ stunning white locks.
Eve Best / Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
Best sports quite a different look than her role as the “Queen Who Never Was,” Rhaenys Targaryen. Minus Rhaenys’ platinum hair, fans of Nurse Jackie would no doubt recognize her as series regular Dr. Eleanor O’Hara. Best is also known in the UK for her work as Monica Chatwin in the BBC miniseries The Honourable Woman.
Fabien Frankel / Ser Criston Cole
Frankel is practically a newcomer to the business, having only appeared in a handful of roles, including a part in the BBC One/Netflix true crime movie The Serpent, before landing the role of Dornish knight Criston Cole. Unlike most of the Targaryens in the series, Frankel’s real-life appearance isn’t markedly different from Cole’s.
Emily Carey / Lady Alicent Hightower
Carey has been acting and modeling in the UK since she was first scouted at eight years old. She may be recognizable to DCEU fans as the actress who portrayed the younger Princess Diana in 2018’s Wonder Woman. She repeated the trend a year later as the younger version of Lara Croft in 2019’s Tomb Raider reboot. Her appearance seems to be influenced by her modeling career as evidenced by the smart and fashion-forward scarlet ensemble she wore to House of the Dragon‘s London premiere.
Sonoya Mizuno / Mysaria
Fans of UK director and novelist Alex Garland will no doubt recognize Mizuno for her roles in his films Ex Machina, Annihilation, and Devs. Mizuno’s on-screen look isn’t dramatically different from her real-life look, but her mysterious accent — which seemingly denotes Mysaria’s nativity on an unknown but idyllic island — is remarkably different from the actress’s natural accent. Mizuno, who was raised in Somerset, England, but has been known to use an American accent in other films.