Top 10 House of the Dragon Performances Ranked

We’re halfway through House of the Dragon with season 3 set to premiere this summer, so it’s a good time to look back at the best performances of the series so far before we get a new slew of characters. House of the Dragon‘s first two seasons have introduced characters from across Westeros and from across the decades.

Performing this Shakespearean tale of family betrayal and tragedy is an impressive array of veteran actors and newcomers who are more than up to the task. House of the Dragon is a grim show, necessitating grim performances, but the best performances in the show find other dimensions of their characters.

10

Steve Toussaint As Corlys Velaryon

Steve Toussaint plays Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Snake. The head of House Velaryon, the second most powerful house after the Targaryens, Corlys is a master naval officer and a wise just leader. With familial ties to both the Blacks and Greens, Corlys is a highly valued asset to both sides of the Dance of Dragons.

Toussaint brings all the gravitas and strength needed for Corlys but also plays him with an aging man’s weariness. He’s not completely over-the-hill, but his best years are now just behind him. Toussaint portrays his struggle to be a just ruler while still having personal bitterness and regrets, with careful balance.

9

Olivia Cooke As Alicent Hightower (Adult)

Alicent Hightower is the second wife of King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) and the former best friend of Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy [adult], Milly Alcock [young]). Alicent has been a pawn for most of her life, with few allies, and she’s had to find her own way, inadvertently causing destruction along the way.

Alicent is a tragic character in House of the Dragon, and Olivia Cooke portrays her as someone who hates the game of thrones, but has been forced to play by circumstance. She can be apologetic and accusatory all at the same time, and you can see on Cooke’s face how she would accept any outcome as long as it meant her family was safe.

8

Abubakar Salim As Alyn Of Hull

Alyn of Hull is the eldest of Corlys Velaryon’s bastard sons and the older brother of Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty). Alyn is a sailor in the Velaryon fleet and personally saved the Sea Snake once. Unlike his younger brother, Alyn holds a deep grudge against his father for abandoning him.

Hopefully, Alyn will have a bigger role in House of the Dragon season 3 because of what Abubakar Salim does with only a few scenes in season 2. Salim portrays a man trying to keep a stiff upper lip while being a sad, abandoned boy on the inside so well. His dress down of Corlys is why you hire an actor of Salim’s skill.

7

Ewan Mitchell As Aemond Targaryen (Adult)

Aemond “One-Eye” Targaryen has gone from a sweet, sensitive young boy, to one of the most dangerous, unpredictable warriors in the Seven Kingdoms. Anyone who looks at Daemond (Matt Smith) with something close to fanboy wonder is someone to be worried about. He and his dragon, Vhagar, will hold the fate of the realm in season 3.

As the elder version of Aemond, Ewan Mitchell gives his Targaryen prince a surprisingly soft, hissing delivery which you wouldn’t expect a fierce warrior to have, but it makes his threats and observations feel all the more sinister. Mitchell can shout with the best of them too, and then retreat to a frightened boy in one scene.

6

Tom Glynn-Carney As Aegon II Targaryen (Adult)

The heir to the throne, according to the Greens, Aegon II Targaryen never wanted to be king. He just wanted to live a life of rich, drunken debauchery, causing the usual violence and harm that the nobles of Westeros exact on the smallfolk. When he decides to act “kingly” he nearly gets burned to death.

You almost want to root for Aegon II, despite how much of a terror he is, because of Tom Glynn-Carney’s wonderfully charming and smarmy performance. He’s a smug, violent prince, but Glynn-Carney plays him with a surprising amount of self-awareness that makes him more palatable, and in turn, his crusade a little more reasonable.

5

Paddy Considine As Viserys I Targaryen

Viserys I Targaryen is fondly remembered in Westeros, but his indecision is partially to blame for the Dance of Dragons and the confusing succession crisis. He begins the series as a just ruler, but his unwillingness to face cold realities eventually leads the Targaryens towards their doom, reflected on his physical form like a portrait of Dorian Gray.

Paddy Considine is one of the best parts of House of the Dragon season 1. He plays a ruler we haven’t seen before in any of the Game of Thrones shows. He’s imposing and respected but at the same time, there’s something clearly lacking and he knows it. His face falling off as he begs for his family to come together is as moving a scene as any in HOTD.

4

Fabien Frankel As Criston Cole

A member of Viserys I and later Aegon II’s Kingsguard, Criston Cole is a formidable warrior and was once held up as the prime example of knightly honor, a handsome young common-born knight who rose through the ranks. Years of mistakes and violence have left him depressed, guilt-ridden, and unsure of who he is.

Criston Cole goes through many changes in the first two seasons of House of the Dragon, and Fabian Frankel’s electric performance doesn’t miss a beat. He’s admirable and charming at first, then gross and sulky, and now, haunted and confused, Frankel might be doing his best work as Cole.

3

Otto Hightower As Rhys Ifans

One of the smartest men in the Seven Kingdoms, Otto Hightower was a respected and trusted advisor to Viserys I, but his overreach, ambition, and legitimate concern for the safety of the realm saw him sent away from King’s Landing. Otto tries his best to keep the realm together, but conveniently forgets he helped break it.

Related

The 10 Best Performances In Game Of Thrones, Ranked

Game of Thrones has a long list of impressive actors who have appeared in the series, but these 10 give the best performances of anyone.

Rhys Ifans has the Sean Bean as Ned Stark role in House of the Dragon. A recognized, talented actor in a pivotal role for the first season of the show, except Otto lives. He makes every scene he’s in pop. His moment of realization that Aegon II is an inadequate ruler is hilarious and dark at the same time.

2

Matt Smith As Daemon Targaryen

Daemon Targaryen, the brother of the late king and second husband to the potential Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, and the rider of Caraxes, there are few people more dangerous in Westeros than Daemon. Combine that with his absolute willingness to indulge in his violent fantasies, and you have someone who would be the big bad in any other show.

There is much more to Daemon than malice, however, and Matt Smith’s performance offers layers of character. He’s a bitter younger brother, a grieving widow, and needy husband. Smith makes all of Daemon’s faults feel honest, that they come from somewhere deep and real, and that makes us understand and even like him.

1

Emma D’Arcy As Rhaenyra Targaryen (Adult)

Rhaenyra Targaryen, the true main character of House of the Dragon, and the leader of the Blacks, is a fascinating character. She has a rebellious and unorthodox streak, illustrated by her demand to be a female rule in a patriarchal society. However, she also holds tradition and duty high, even when it makes her unpopular.

Emma D’Arcy gives the best performance in House of the Dragon, crucially elevating a character who has to be a little bit loved and a little bit hated. There is so much pain and worry in D’Arcy’s face at all times. Her performance is that of an anxious, unappreciated mother, and it works so well for the character.

Release Date

August 21, 2022

Network

HBO

Directors

Clare Kilner, Geeta Patel

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  Fabien Frankel

  Ser Criston Cole