‘House of the Dragon’ Star’s Question for Season 4 : ‘Where the F Is Mushroom?’

[This story contains major spoilers from the House of the Dragon season three finale.]

Over the course of speaking with the House of the Dragon cast through three seasons and counting, I have a sense of which actors skipped reading George R.R. Martin‘s original book, those who have read it, and those who really really read it. Gayle Rankin falls into that last category, based on a question she asks me in our interview, so important as to be personally requested for our headline: “Where the fuck is Mushroom?”

If you’re like the first category of actors and haven’t read Fire and Blood, then you have no idea that we’re missing out on one of the most extreme characters featured in Martin’s in-universe history tome. In it, there are tales of a court jester named Mushroom, whose fictional tell-all about the Red Keep’s royal happenings fuel what we know about the Dance of the Dragons. Sadly, this crude character is completely absent from the show, and with only one season left, time is running out for his arrival. Let it be known, readers: Gayle Rankin is as bummed about his omission as you are.

Conversely, Rankin is as hyped about her character, Alys Rivers, as one can possibly get. The so-called Witch Queen of Harrenhal (a title Rankin personally adores) has taken a central role in the narrative, first by playing head games with Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) in season two, and now falling in love with Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) in season three.

Is she in love, though? And is Alys who and what she claims to be: the hundreds-year-old queen of Harrenhal, long forgotten, but cursed to be the lone survivor of the castle’s fall? Below, Rankin gets into those questions and more about Alys. Alas, her question, the one in the headline? Still unanswered. (Come on, Ryan Condal! One more season left to do the cool thing!)

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What was your experience as Alys like this year, in terms of fan response?

Different, certainly different. I don’t follow or read a ton online because that way madness lies. My brain would break or my heart would break. I get the general sense that people were a little skeptical of Alys in season two, early on. They didn’t really understand her or know where to put her. I do think as we let her unravel this season, there has been a lot of love. And so that’s made me feel great. It’s awesome. Look, I’m in the business of making things for people to absorb, whether they’re super into it or as long as it’s causing some kind of a discussion, I’m down. 

How was it for you, unraveling Alys? What do you make of the mystery around her?

I was able to read all eight scripts, so I knew where we were headed and we were headed somewhere much clearer than we’ve ever ever been. And somewhere really fulfilling and dramatic and moving and beautiful, hopefully, and something that is going to make her make a lot of sense to people. And that was really satisfying. I’ve really enjoyed the build of that. We’ve gotten to see her feel this kind of power that we’ve never seen her feel and develop, and then in more recent episodes, kind of lose a bit of control. I feel like it’s a bit of a metaphor for love, connection, humanity. She’s not had human connection for potentially hundreds of years. What has that done to her?

You’re at the heart of several scenes that are stylistically different from most of what we see in the Game of Thrones franchise. With all these vision sequences, you get to almost pioneer what a Thrones show looks and feels like when it’s getting into very supernatural territory. Does that feel rewarding?

It does. And we’ve been developing it over the course of these years. I take my hat off to Ryan and the entire writing team because we took a lot of risks and didn’t really know if they would work. We were all going in a little blind. There’s not a lot of information about her. We took a really strong stab at who she is and the nature of her witchcraft and the prophecy and her relationship to the war and the battle, the Game of Thrones chessboard of it all. It’s been really cool to have been let in and become a pretty big player, which I think is an honor. You want to be a big player.

Did you read any of Fire and Blood to prepare for the part?

I did. And I thought some of it was really pleasurable, especially when Mushroom says things about Alys. 

Mushroom? 

Mushroom. I find that very tickling. I like that she bathes in maiden’s blood! I found all the lore about her to be super interesting and more of an insight to George R.R. Martin’s mindset about her. She’s this powerful, mysterious woman who has mystery that shrouds her. I think the show has really given her an opportunity to expose what female power is in a different way.

Were there any moments George wrote about, or even lines of dialogue, that you wanted to make sure the writers brought in? Or even something described by Mushroom… Where is Mushroom, by the way?

Where the fuck is Mushroom? Can that be the title of the article?

That’s a great headline.

“Alys Rivers Wants to Know: ‘Where the Fuck is Mushroom?’”

But beyond that…

There’s the idea that she is the Witch Queen of Harrenhal. When I read that, I was like, “Oh, shit. I want to be the Witch Queen of Harrenhal.” If you’re going to be royalty in Westeros, be that.

Do you think Alys authentically loves Aemond, or is she using him as a means to an end?

I dare anyone in a relationship to ask themselves that question of their own relationship. (Laughs.) All jokes aside, I think it’s both. But I will say I really believe there is love there and real feeling. That’s what’s scary and fucking terrifying, and is going to get them all in trouble. There’s real feelings. If Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon were all about killing people just for nothing, for literally a seat that’s made of swords, it would not be interesting or dramatic. It’s about people who love each other and hurt each other.

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House of the Dragon season three is now streaming on HBO Max; read THR‘s finale coverage.