We all know how big a role the concept of family plays in Game of Thrones and indeed the spin-off TV series House of the Dragon. Some may keep their family a little bit too close, perhaps, but keeping it in the family worked out well for the casting department, who were able to swap two actors without us realising for the big finale of the HBO drama series.
Set almost two hundred years before we meet our favourite Game of Thrones characters, House of the Dragon tells the tale of the Dance of Dragons and the Targaryen civil war. The Iron Throne may seat a Targaryen, but things aren’t looking too friendly when it comes to Rhaenyra Targaryen, Daemon Targaryen, and the Black Queen’s allies, as they prepare for war with Alicent Hightower and the Green Council.
There was so much going on in House of the Dragon episode 10 to set up the impending war that you’d be forgiven for missing the fact two actors were swapped right under our noses, as explained by director Greg Yaitanes in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Among the House of the Dragon cast is a pair of twin brothers, Luke Tittensor and Elliott Tittensor, who play Ser Arryk Cargyll and Ser Erryk Cargyll respectively. Turns out, casting identical twins allowed for the show to pull a little trick to solve Covid issues during production.
“There’s that scene, that big scene where Corlys [Steve Toussaint] comes down and they’re putting the markers on the table and the messenger comes in. It was a shot over two days and then one [of the twins] got COVID,” Yaitanes explained. “[Elliott] got COVID, so we swapped him out with his brother.”
The two House of the Dragon characters may now be on opposite sides of the war, but thankfully they provided an easy fix in a time of crisis. Yaitanes adds “that would’ve killed us” if Luke wasn’t able to stand in, as the production was just preparing to shoot a crucial scene involving Rhaenyra and his brother Elliott had already been filmed right next to her.
If you love dragons and bloodshed, check out our guide to the House of the Dragon season 2 release date. Or, size up your dragons with our guide to answering the question – is Drogon bigger than Vhagar?