New Cast Members Confirmed

[The Dragon Demands]

A new casting update courtesy of reliable news source Redanian Intelligence:

https://redanianintelligence.com/2021/10/14/hbos-game-of-thrones-prequel-house-of-the-dragon-casts-young-mysaria-and-others/

Young Mysaria will be played by Spanish-Korean actress Rosa Escoda.

They seem to be going for a "vaguely Asian but mixed race and hard to identify" look for Mysaria, as her adult version is played by British-Japanese actress Sonoya Mizuno. That is, I don't think she's straight up "from Yi Ti", but just "a slave from the east" and thus the product of racially mixed slave stock from all over.

As for implications to the timeline, it's hard to say when the older actors will have time skips (we suspect Rhaenyra and Alicent will shift around episode 6 ).

Three other minor roles cast....which might be CODE NAMES and not their actual names:

• Edward Rowe as Ser Howland Sharp.  While there is a "House Sharp" in the Iron Islands, they're not knights.
• Bijan Daneshmand - an Iranian actor, cast in a role only described as "The Priest"
• Nina Barker-Francis - a young, light-skinned black actress cast in a role described only as "Jayne".   A Young Nettles? She doesn't look like Nettles, Nettles is very black.

[Ran]

Rosa Escoda is not that much younger than Mizuno, and doesn't really look much younger either. Very odd. 

[The Bard of Banefort]

Why would they need a young Mysaria anyway? They’re not casting a young Daemon (at least I don’t think they are).

[Sotan]

7 hours ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

Why would they need a young Mysaria anyway? They’re not casting a young Daemon (at least I don’t think they are).

That's what I thought. They should've kept Mizuno tbh. 

[The Dragon Demands]

17 hours ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

Why would they need a young Mysaria anyway? They’re not casting a young Daemon (at least I don’t think they are).

 

[The Bard of Banefort]

53 minutes ago, The Dragon Demands said:

 

Huh. Interesting. They basically have two parallel casts at this point. 

[The Bard of Banefort]

3 hours ago, The Dragon Demands said:

 

I’ve only seen this actor in Dunkirk, but I thought he was very good.

BTW I notice you make a lot of long, detailed videos. Is this what you do full-time? 

[Sotan]

11 hours ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

Huh. Interesting. They basically have two parallel casts at this point. 

At this point I don't know what would be more of a headache, constant flashbacks where audiences (who won't remember names) are trying to figure out who is who, or have a quarter, or half the season be in the past and then do a flash forward. 

[The Dragon Demands]

9 hours ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

I’ve only seen this actor in Dunkirk, but I thought he was very good.

BTW I notice you make a lot of long, detailed videos. Is this what you do full-time? 

Oh I WISH I could do this full time. But "A Song of Ice and Fire" analysis isn't a full time paying job.

[The Dragon Demands]

@Ran

Spy photos have revealed the cast members playing (adult versions of ) Aegon II & Aemond Targaryen:

• Aegon II Targaryen:  Tom Glynn-Carney (Henry "Hotspur" Percy in The King)
• Aemond Targaryen: Ewan Mitchell (Osferth in The Last Kingdom)

 

[The Dragon Demands]

I've been playing around with a list of all the suspected actors based on cross-referenced Instagram follows plus spy photos:

Essentially Confirmed from clear spy photos:

• Aegon II Targaryen - Tom Glynn-Carney
• Aemond Targaryen - Ewan Mitchell
• Jace Velaryon - Harry Collett
• Luke Velaryon - Elliott Grihault
• Young Baela Targaryen - Shani Smethurst
• Young Rhaena Targaryen - Eva Ossei-Gerning 
• Elliott and Luke Tittensor - the Cargyll twins

Reasonably well-suspected from Instagram follows and blurry spy photos:

• Young Aegon II - Ty Tennant
• Young Aemond - Dylan Hughes
• Young Jace or Luke - Leo Hart
• Young Daemon - Fionn O'Shea
• Young Helaena Targaryen - Evie Allen (tentative)

Other actors suspected from cross-referenced Instagram follows:

• Milllie Brady = Jeyne Arryn?
• Amber Anderson = Aemma Arryn?
• Bethany Antonia = Adult Laena?

Then we have these three actresses who we think joined the cast:

• Maddie Evans (age range 12-15)
• Isabella Pappas (age 19)
• Florrie Antoniou (age 19)
• Georgina Hellier (playing age range 23 - 30 )

Georgina Hellier's too old to play adult Helaena to Tom Glynn-Carney's Aegon II....I think Florrie is adult Helaena.

All of these women follow each other and other cast members from HotD, but the question is whether they just know each other outside of work. I don't "friend" that many people on Twitter, etc. but some people friend literally everyone who comes up in their news feed, making it insignificant. Possible Georgina Hellier is Aemma Arryn given that Emma D'Arcy follows her on Twitter...but D'Arcy wouldn't work with Rhaenyra's mother. Maybe she's Jeyne? I don't know.

EDIT:  

I now suspect that Evie Allen is young Helaena, and Florrie Antoniou is adult Helaena (she looks like an older version of Evie, with soft features). But as for the other pieces of this jigsaw puzzle:

Maddie Evans is probably playing the "Young" version of a character, as her age range is 12-15.  She also has very sharp, elfin features like a Valyrian...but they've cast all the sharp-featured women.  UNLESS, if we get a young Daemon, we'd logically have a young Rhaenys?

Isabella Pappas is half-Italian, slightly darker complexion and rounder features....BUT Isabella sort of does look like a younger version of Georgina. And given that they've cast a 43 year old man to play adult Jason Lannister, a late-20's-looking Georgina Hellier might fit as his wife Johanna.

So the VERY tentative speculation is:

• Evie Allen - young Helaena
• Florrie Antoniou - adult Helaena
• Maddie Evans - young Rhaenys
• Isabella Pappas - young Johanna Westerling
• Georgina Hellier - adult Johanna Westerling

[The Bard of Banefort]

The real question now is if they have the balls to make Helaena chubby like she is in the books. I’m guessing probably not.

[Thomaerys Velaryon]

6 hours ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

The real question now is if they have the balls to make Helaena chubby like she is in the books. I’m guessing probably not.

Viserys I was plump at first and then he became so fat later in life that it caused him health issues (not so fat as Aegon IV though). They casted Paddy Considine to play him and he is neither plump nor fat. I agree chances are not in favor of seeing chubby Helaena on screens. I wonder if they will bother to make Aegon II and/or Rhaenyra fatter as the series progresses.

[The Dragon Demands]

Continued from previous post: what major roles would be left for Season 1? We don't know when Season 1 ends, but let's assume "through 120 AC when Aemond claims Vhagar" (as we saw this in the trailer)

• Mushroom
• Aemma Arryn
• Johanna Westerling (probably, as they're expanding Harrold Westerling, and Jason Lannister is in it)
• Qarl Correy
• Craghas Crabfeeder 
• Racallion Ryndoon (possibly, they might save introducing him until later)
• Dornish allies for the Triarchy? (possibly)
• Rhea Royce? (assuming she hasn't been cut)
• Luthor Largent of the City Watch (or equivalent; need a gold cloak for Daemon to interact with)
• Septon Eustace, Maester Gerardys, etc.
• Various lords vying for Rhaenyra's hand in marriage at tourneys (Blackwood, Bracken, Frey, Tully, Tyrell, Oakheart, and particularly Alan Tarly, as we saw Tarly heraldry).
• Ironrod and Orwyle? (assuming they're not introduced in Season 2)

Then we get into the murkier category of "major characters in the Dance, but not in the Rogue Prince, who they might want to set up or cameo in Season 1": 

• Jeyne Arryn 
• Johanna Westerling (very probably in Season 1)
• Cregan Stark
• Dalton Greyjoy
• Borros Baratheon
• Black Aly Blackwood, other Riverlands characters, etc.
• Other Hightowers (including Samantha Tarly)
• Younger versions of the Dragonseeds

Because there's these four actresses following the other cast members on Instagram: 

• Isabella Pappas
• Maddie Evans
• Florrie Pantoniou
• Georgina Hellier

One is probably adult Helaena. I think Millie Brady and Amber Andergram are playing Jeyne and Aemma Arryn. But that leaves three other actresses....and what female roles are left in that age range? -- Johanna, Aly Blackwood, possibly Samantha Tarly.  Or maybe one or two of them are just friends with the other actors (though its's conspicuous how many cast members follow them).  Hard to say.

Did I forget anyone?

[The Dragon Demands]

2 hours ago, Thomaerys Velaryon said:

Viserys I was plump at first and then he became so fat later in life that it caused him health issues (not so fat as Aegon IV though). They casted Paddy Considine to play him and he is neither plump nor fat. I agree chances are not in favor of seeing chubby Helaena on screens. I wonder if they will bother to make Aegon II and/or Rhaenyra fatter as the series progresses.

Viserys I's health problems were scary and sad, because they were more realistic than the comically, morbidly obese Aegon IV.  Viserys I is the fun-loving, bumbling but well meaning dad who enjoys feasting a lot (like Homer Simpson)...who then realistically by his sixties gets heart problems. It's upsetting because it's realistic.

Quote

The real question now is if they have the balls to make Helaena chubby like she is in the books. I’m guessing probably not.

There is some chance that Season 2 will cover the 120s AC, then they'll recast everyone yet again in Season 3. Otherwise I don't think we're getting a Rhaenyra overweight from six pregnancies, anymore than we got a Lysa Arryn who lost her figure from numerous (failed) pregnancies.

I think the film & TV industry is more willing to race-swap a character than to depict a plus-sized woman. And I mean sensible race-swaps like "what if Commissioner Gordon was played by a black actor in Batman?" or "hey, Braavosi are stated to be a racial mix, why not make TV Tycho Nestoris black?".....I can't think of a time that a character described as thin in a book was instead depicted by a fat actor, male or female.

[The Dragon Demands]

(double post, please delete)

[The Bard of Banefort]

18 minutes ago, The Dragon Demands said:

There is some chance that Season 2 will cover the 120s AC, then they'll recast everyone yet again in Season 3. Otherwise I don't think we're getting a Rhaenyra overweight from six pregnancies, anymore than we got a Lysa Arryn who lost her figure from numerous (failed) pregnancies.

I think the film & TV industry is more willing to race-swap a character than to depict a plus-sized woman. And I mean sensible race-swaps like "what if Commissioner Gordon was played by a black actor in Batman?" or "hey, Braavosi are stated to be a racial mix, why not make TV Tycho Nestoris black?".....I can't think of a time that a character described as thin in a book was instead depicted by a fat actor, male or female.

I completely agree. Not to mention that actresses will shave their heads, get fake tattoos and piercings, and spend a year training to be a ballerina all for a movie role, but won’t put on so much as a pound. Charlize Theron put on 20 pounds for a role a few years ago, and she described it as the most depressing experience of her life.

The only time I’ve seen a heavier actress portray a character who was supposed to be thinner is on that Bill Clinton impeachment show that’s on now. They have a plus size actress playing Monica Lewinsky, who was much slimmer in real life (Monica is a producer on the show, so she presumably had a hand in casting her).

[The Dragon Demands]

13 minutes ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

Charlize Theron put on 20 pounds for a role a few years ago

She had to cultivate mass !