One ‘House of the Dragon’ Star Has a Vendetta Against His Armor

House of the Dragon presents unique challenges for all of the actors involved. Olivia Cooke, Freddie Fox, and Fabien Frankel all had to overcome some physical and emotional trials on the hit HBO show.

The Mary Sue’s Rachel Leishman asked the House of the Dragon stars about some challenges this season in a roundtable for season 3. During our conversation, we learned a lot about what goes into making a night and the weight of trying to rule in the face of true catastrophe.

 Longtime fans of the series know all too well that you can’t really get comfortable in a place like Westeros. In fact, You would be wise to avoid that line of thinking entirely if you’re going to last a long time in this universe.

Alicent, Criston Cole, and Gwayne Hightower all have their roles to play in the conflict that’s quickly burning out of control on House of the Dragon. Check out what they had to say about their experiences down below for yourself!

Alicent Hightower Makes Her Move in House of the Dragon

The Mary Sue had to talk to Cook about these decisions from Hightower as things seem to be running wild outside. Alicent might be trying to find common ground with Rhaenyra Targaryen. But, that might not be enough to save her or her daughter when it comes to the violence at the doorstep of King’s Landing. 

There’s a delicate balance between exploring what happens when a friendship goes sideways. Then, you have to do what’s best for you and yours. That means getting Helen out of danger before it’s staring you in the face.

“I don’t know if she’s cognizant of where she stands with Ryaeneyra. And, I don’t think that’s her priority,” she admitted. “I think, in lieu of fixing the wrongs that she has done within the kingdom, she’s just focused on survival. Preparing the Red Keep for a safe transition of power. As safe as possible, and getting her and Elena out of harm’s way.”

“So, that’s sort of where I think she is at in the first two episodes. But, you know, she keeps being waylaid, and interrupted in some of the worst ways possible.”

Freddie Fox, and Fabien Frankel on being Knights

It’s a rough job, but someone’s gotta do it. The knights play an integral role as the palace intrigue kicks off in any corner of the Game of Thrones universe. For Fox and Frankel, it’s a playful tone when it comes to their responsibilities.

Our critic made the mistake of asking about the armor they have to wear for most scenes. It turns out that stuff is both heavy and cumbersome. A nightmare to work around in a production of this size. But, there is always comedy to ease the blows.

“I’d like to take this because I’ve actually been wearing it for 6 years and offset in my daily life,” Frankel joked. “The first season, to get it on and off, it was like 12 minutes on, 12 minutes off. So, if you needed to do anything that required you to be out of your armor, that was a 25 minute break for production. Which is insane.”

“The whole production stops for 25 minutes. So, you’d spend the whole day in it,” he added. “It was tough to eat, it was tough to sit, it was tough to sleep. Also, it was tough on my neck and shoulders. But that said, on season 2, it did become easier because halfway through season 1 they made part of it removable.” 

All helmets are not the same in House of the Dragon

“As you can tell, you’ve opened up a deep wound.” Fabian joked. Before Fox quipped, “And which we’ve not, which we’ve never ever heard about before.”  

His co-star smiled, “Yeah, clearly no one’s ever heard me.” Apparently, Fabian’s “long-suffering” dresser Christian is the person you should go to if you want the inside scoop.

Fox would muse, “I try and spend most of my day trying to convince production to let me take bits of it off,” he smiled. “I have a particular hatred of my helmet… It made me look like a tit… I look like the end of a penis, yeah? The end of it? Yeah, I do.” 

(Photo Credit: HBO)

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