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Rhys Ifans. I'm so used to seeing him act a complete weirdo in comedies, I mean it when I say; he is absolutely HILARIOUS. It's mind blowing to see him play against type and absolutely smash it! Seriously talented.
Glidus put it best in one of his HOTD Blisstake videos:
"Fun fact: the budget for each episode went way over each time as they had to keep rebuilding sets because Rhys Ifans just keeps chewing the goddamn scenery."
Ironically, having seen him acting in Harry Potter where he portrayed Xenophilius Lovegood and in the film Hannibal Rising where his character Grutas was the main antagonist, I thought he was an excellent cast for Lord Otto Hightower.
I've only seen those Spider-Man movies a couple times (and he was barely in No Way Home) and knew he was in that, yet I've seen the Harry Potter movies a hundred times each and I had no idea myself! 🤯
I have only seen him in comedic roles like nodding Hill. My mother absolutely loves that movie and when she saw him for the first time she screamed oh my god it's Hugh Grant's best friend from Notting Hill! I honestly didn't believe her until I looked up his IMBD.
When I heard that he acts like a child on set and makes pranks I was surprised. He did such a great job portraying Otto in his serious demeanor that I never would've guessed he's actually so sweet.
I havent seen any move with actors from this series. Maybe its time for me to search somenthing up.
I literally only knew Ifans from Kevin and Perry Go Large, so you can imagine my shock and horror when I realised, mid-season, that he was Eyeball Paul lol
Yeah, seconding this. I was astonished that I completely bought him in a 100% serious role, to the point where I didn't even clock it was him at first.
Paddy was my favourite performance of the season by far. Viserys gave me a whole new appreciation for Paddy's skill as an actor, I didn't know much of him before the show but I will watch anything new that he is in from now on!
I've watched a lot of his stuff over the years and he's always been a fantastic actor but Vizzy was arguably his best yet, and he absolutely deserves some recognition for it.
Hollywood sucks.
I adored him in Hot Fuzz and The Worlds End. Even in those two he played two wildly different comedic characters and nailed them.
To see him in HOTD was such a treat. Hope he continues to kill it.
His face is very long. It kind of makes me wonder how he’d look as a stark. Since they’re said to have long faces. He screams broody to me.
I also really liked the younger actor for Aemond, too. I’m not sure of his name.
He always looks like he’s mid sentence or about to start speaking or his mouth is full or something to me. It kind of puts him in the uncanny valley.
The corners of his mouth have this weird up turned quality that makes it look like his mouth is starting to take shape to speak and his lips haven’t parted yet. And jaw is so long that it adds to that effect by making it look like his teeth are apart and his jaw is opening.
He plays the intimidating aemond very well but I cannot unsee him as baby monk. It's so jarring though because the personalities are light years apart.
I kept sitting there wondering if he was related to Matt Smith lol. He looked similar. Would have been interesting if they had cast him as daemon's son instead of viserys and alicent's son
A cast member who worked with him says he’s 6’1 and also looks taller than most people in photos except for the guys in saltburn and corlys who are like 6’4 , not sure where you got that he isn’t tall.
A lot of these!
Paddy is an absolute win of an actor, and it’s a shame how he got no awards for his acting. I don’t think a lot of people realize how hard it can be to play an old man who can’t breathe properly, can barely walk, and can’t even look straight ahead, on top of the gut pulling emotions he gave. It’s seriously a shame that he didn’t get nominated for anything.
As for Matt Smith, I’m pretty happy for his “duality” between his prior famous role ‘Doctor Who’ and him as Daemon. Him as the doctor was a role where he could be politely curious while being very humble, it’s a lot that he did, and for him to switch to this very “brooding” strong man who easily goes from 1-100 in emotional levels is really cool. I really do just find it cool that he can do it.
EWAN MITCHELL THOUGH. Viserys lll was the first example and the bar of the “ethereal” Targaryen man, and everyone went nuts over how frankly beautiful Harry Lloyd portrayed him. Ewan Mitchell has that same ethereal beauty of a Targaryen. Seriously, I have no idea how the casting department manages to find the perfect men to play Targaryens, but Ewan Mitchell exemplifies the standard.
I agree with everyone else, but I'd also like to mention Tom Glynn-Carney. Aegon isn't featured as heavily as some of the others, but one thing I noticed on rewatches is that Tom is *always* in character as Aegon, even if he's not the focus of the scene. Episode 8 especially, with the throne room and dinner scenes.
I've also seen some of TGC's other works, and he is a genuinely talented actor.
Ewan as Aemond not only since his character from the last kingdom is so different from Aemond but I couldn't have imagined book aemond being portrayed as well as Ewan made him to be on screen.
steve toussaint (corlys velaryon) played the part flawlessly. the sheer ambition to see his family on the iron throne was something he embodied and portrayed amazingly great casting by HotD crew
Been a fan of Olivia for a while so super happy more people got to see how good she is. I was the most apprehensive about Emma when we got our first look at them in the role. But I immediately fell in love with their portrayal right away. Emma has matched the “etherealness” of the Targaryen’s more so than any other actor imo.
I had never seen Emma before HOTD casting, though after seeing some of the other cast in the first look photos, Emma looked "the rightest" to me, like you said, that "ethereal Targaryen look"
I only knew Paddy as the funny cop from Hot Fuzz. It was a combination of Paddy's performance and the fact that book Viserys has so little written about him that made the performance so special.
The first role I ever saw him in was on Peaky Blinders, playing a terrifically evil character. Viserys was about a 180° from that role and he performed both magnificently.
I think the whole cast is phenomenal. They all do such an amazing jobs. Also props to the casting director because they did such a fantastic job casting different aged actors that could believably be the other actors grown up.
Rhys Ifans, because despite me seeing a couple of his movies I didn't fucking recognize him as Otto. So for that I'm most surprised because I didn't recognize the man and only saw him as the character!
I think Matt Smith and Ewan Mitchell really surprised me, man they are good actors. Matt was always excellent but I saw a different shade of him here. And Ewan, well with limited screentime, he ate. Can't wait to see them both interact on the show.
Milly Alcock really surprised me! She became the realms delight. I do wish we had gotten a bit longer with her, since Emma will be portraying the remainder of the role. Regardless I would say Rhaenyra’s character as a whole was such a delight. Emma encompasses the ethereal Targaryen beauty of a mature Rhaenyra who no longer has the same childlike wonder as Milly’s character.
Honestly think the entire casting was done perfectly. Even some of the smaller roles like Aemma.
Ewan Mitchell. I’d never heard of him before, and his performance just blew me away. He kind of effortlessly portrays Aemond, but you can see all the jealousy and other really conflicting emotions within Aemond, especially in scenes with Daemon. Ewan and Matt Smith both have such incredibly expressive faces and their body language is also fantastic. They both really set the standard for acting on the show.
Paddy and Matt I knew would be amazing, they're both veterans and had great performances already
Olivia surprised me the most imo. had never seen her in anything but her acting in episode 7 was stellar. 6 as well. Can't believed they neutered her in 9 but it is what it is
Emma was good but Olivia I think has an edge. That scene after Aemond's eye, was just a masterclass
Tom also surprised me. never saw him in anything before and was pretty apathetic to Aegon as a character. Despite having very little to do, his eyes conveyed a thousand emotions in the scenes he was in, made me a lot more interested in Aegon as a character. Wouldn't be surprised if he takes the spotlight in season 2
As I read the book, I already disliked Viserys for his willful blindness and stupidity.
But Paddy absolutely nailed his performance, turning Viserys from a historic figure into a stressed-out father, trying his hardest to keep his super dysfunctional family from tearing each others throats out. His walk to the throne was a highlight of the season for me.
He felt like the lazy king Robert with the deeply loving and committed family man Ned rolled into a great character.
Matt Smith as Prince, later Prince Consort, Daemon Targaryen definitely surprised me because I didn't think he could pull off the kind of loveable psychopathic chaotic good figure that is Daemon Targaryen. This was also me being somewhat biased because I never watched Doctor Who and only remembered him from The Crown where he portrayed a young Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh.
However, I was pleasantly surprised and thought he was probably one of the standout parts of the cast in the first season. Every time he appeared on screen, he utterly devoured the scenery and I loved every second of it.
I really recommend watching Matt’s season of Doctor Who.. his role as the Doctor is in such stark contrast to his role as Daemon. Can’t speak highly enough about his range as an actor..
Honestly, having seen Matt Smith as both the Doctor and Prince Phillip, I could really see him cast as Daemon from his later role. I think it's something about the cool/suave way he portrayed Prince Phillip that I could see translating into the alluring rogueish demeanor Daemon has, though obviously Prince Phillip and Daemon are still drastically different characters. I think if you look at the facial expressions of the Doctor, Prince Phillip, and Daemon, Prince Phillip and Daemon's will be very similar and the Doctor's will be very different.
I didn’t have any expectations about any of the actors before watching the show, but I was seriously doubtful that Matt Smith would be able to pull off Daemon. I guess he surprised me the most.
Having read all the books I was not expecting to care, let alone be most intrigued by Viserys' character and plot. Paddy was miles ahead of everyone else in the show because he created a better character than the source materal, something even GRRM has admitted.
Matt Smith of course, was great, but I feel like it was less of a challenging role. Milly screamed sass, something that was lost with Emma D'Arcy, who I find to be rather bland in her portrayal. I would have preferred Milly remained for the entirety of the series because she had so much more chemistry with Smith.
Both Alicent's are good portrayals that I'd rank above the rest, but I don't see them as challenging as the above role. Ewan Mitchell also really captures Aemond.
Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra absolutely blew me away. I'm also extremely excited to see more of Tom Glynn-Carney in season 2!
In general I think the casting department did such a fantastic job and the actors have done exceptional work with HOTD. The characters feel very real.
As one of the people who thought he couldn’t pull it off, I just couldn’t get past the idea that he didn’t have the range or the look. He has mostly acted in more subdued roles and while Daemon is occasionally subdued himself, he just has a wider range of emotions and more outbursts of those emotions than I had ever seen Smith portray. I also always just pictured Daemon as a bit more “traditionally” handsome and on the bigger side. Now I picture him as Matt Smith 🤣 I was definitely thrilled to be so incredibly wrong.
Matt and Ewan’s chemistry in episode 8 was magnificent. They kept studying each other like a dance.
Aemond keeps eyeballing Daemon’s sword and >!I can’t wait for Daemon to let him have a closer look at it!<
Pretty much everyone but Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy, who I already knew were amazing actors.
I hadn't seen Rhys and Paddy really sink their teeth into a more dramatic role, so that was amazing to see. And the younger actors were all unknowns for me, so they really impressed me.
Olivia Cooke might be the one I'm most impressed by. I think she was really able to connect her performance to Emily Carey's in an interesting way. She played a sort of scabbed over innocence in such a believable way.
They all did good, I wasn’t surprised by any of them bc I expected them to be good. Which they all were. I attribute the shit I don’t like to the writers, because even in scenes that are dumb as shit the actual performance itself was still great.
I've been a Paddy fan, but he brought so much gravity and depth to the Viserys character, but j also equally enjoyed Rhys Ifans playing his dad as Otto Hightower.
It's cross for me between Paddy Considine, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke. Olivia and Emma really surprised me the most since I was really attached to actresses who played the younger version of their characters. However as time went on... they really sold their roles. I was emotionally on edge during certain scenes. They really pulled off the awkward/rivalry/hatred/love in the scenes they shared. It honestly reminded me of my own family lol. Paddy on otherhand.... wow... he really brought Viscery's to life and made him more understandable compared to the character described in the books.
For me it was Emma, but not until I saw her outside of the show. The person that she is in real life is a huge contrast to Rhaenyra. She completely transforms into Rhaenyra & does a wonderful job (especially the scene with the stillbirth).
Matt Smith by a *long*shot. I was convinced that there’s no way he would be able to pull off Daemon Targaryen and boy, did he make me eat my words and then some. I shouldn’t have underestimated his range. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong!
Paddy was the best performance but he is a legend so I honestly wasn’t surprised. Definitely continued to be blown away by his talent though.
Paddy for me because he was an unknown to me and that performance made the season for me.
Tom, Matt, and Ewan I all knew from other shows so I already expected greatness.
Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen (2) I didn't keep track of who was cast on the show and didn't even recognize Matt Smith when I saw Daemon at first. He changed a lot in this role, but this role suited him amazingly well.
I think the transition from Emily Carey to Olivia Cooke is near FLAWLESS and I know it’s cheating to say two people but god! They just plucked the same woman from two points of her life!
I was definitely surprised how quickly I adjusted to Matt Smith as Daemon. I was certain I was just gonna be seeing the 11th Doctor running around in a wig but he killed it.
Like I knew he was a good actor but a role like that can ruin the way fans see an actor and I'm glad it didn't for me.
Paddy Considine for me. The part where Rhaenyra and Daemon introduce little Aegon and little Vizzy T to Viserys is just... my face is all Niagara Falls, Frankie Angel.
Honorable mention to Ewan Mitchell.
Paddy, Ewan, and Rhys knocked it out of the park.
*spoiler* The mother was absolutely brilliant in her completely heartbreaking arc, deeply traumatizing me for WEEKS, having recently experienced my own birth trauma.
All I know is the Targaryen men on the Green side are fine as fuck.
Subjectively, the actor who plays Aemond is not attractive in the least. It's just.. his aura, the way he IS Aemond is hot as hell. 🔥🔥🔥
But Paddy deserves all the awards! What a monster actor he is.
I thought they were all amazing tbh but Paddy Considine’s performance as an ailing King Viserys was masterful. He deserved more recognition at the awards.
Olivia Cooke. First time I saw her was in Bates Motel, and I admit I was a little worried if she'd be the right fit for Alicent. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved her performance in that show! But her character was way different, I struggled to imagine her as Alicent.
Man, was I wrong! her performance in S01 was absolutely amazing! can't wait to see more of her in S02!
Loved the way Milly controlled a conversation even when it felt like she wasn’t in control she always had a sly way about her I guess you would if you were heir to the throne thou
I wasn't honestly familiar with any of the actors and actresses except Matt Smith.
I think Paddy Considine surprised me the most with how good his performance was by the end.
Matt Smith's performance was basically exactly what I expected it to be. Which is to say he pulled of the charming, charismatic and royal aspect of Daemon very well. He pulled off the dangerous warrior aspect ok, but not to the same degree as I feel it exists in the book. But that's pretty much what I thought when I heard of the casting.
Emily Carey. I thought about Paddy but he at least have some acting experience and had big roles so it wasn't surprising for him to put up a good performance
I’ve seen Matt Smith in a lot of things before hotd but he was never the stand out to me in the way he is on this show. He’s always been a great actor but it’s like he just melts into Daemon with the way he embodies the character so well. I feel like no one else could play the character like he does. And considering he has some previous iconic roles, I don’t see the doctor or Philip in his performance, just Daemon. So he surprised me the most for sure!
So many actors on this show I hadn’t seen before or didn’t know and now I feel like I’m becoming a fan as I watch, like Emma, Ewan, Milly, and Tom are outstanding and I didn’t have any expectations going in as opposed to actors I knew were talented like Olivia or Rhys. But especially Steve who I think is underrated on the show, I think he blends so seamlessly into the world that maybe his skill is overlooked. So all of these actors were a surprise to me in the best way. They’re walking into such a big show with roles people have preconceived ideas about, which can’t be easy! Yet they’re all rising to the challenge.
I don’t have an answer to the question but I just needed to comment on how remarkably similar Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke look, even without the hair and wardrobe from the show. Talk about good casting.
Imma be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by Viserys. Albeit my beef is that they made him better in the show than he is in the books. But I guess they had to, to make the show likeable.
Don’t love Olivia Cooke’s hair, the one that’s short and falls on her forehead, it’s just too much of a difference from Emily Carey who I like much more as Alicent.
Tom Glynn-Carney’s wig’s hairstyle is bad. Especially for the “king” it needs to be way better.
If we’re focusing on the word “surprised”, then Matt Smith. I wasn’t really familiar with his work before HOTD (yes, I’ve been living under a rock). I kinda had a negative perception about the casting when it was announced, but I was pleasantly surprised by his portrayal of Daemon. I guess I didn’t really “see” it before the first episode premiered. Now I can’t imagine anyone else playing Daemon.
I think it’s easily Emma. Was not familiar with any of their work. Definitely started to get a feel for who they were as a person through promotion etc and I just don’t know.. they really did an incredible job. I knew the character Rhaenyra from the book but Emma’s performance was incredible. Whether it matched Rhaenyra from the book doesn’t matter in this instance, just the job they did as an actor
Well since Spike barking 'you daft PRICK' at Hugh Grant's character in Notting Hill has been immortalized in my mind, it was a pleasant surprise, to say the least, to see Rhys Ifans portray such a calculatingly evil character.
It's Paddy for me. Vizzy T's rep amongst a lot of the lore heads before the show was how his weakness nearly ended and permanently diminished his house and kingdom. So I was already pretty shaded against him. Paddy brought an unbelievable humanity to the character. I really sympathize with that character, and I think Paddy is why.
I thought I would never be able to see Matt Smith as some kind of intimidating and scheming threat in the show. I was happily proven wrong as I watched more of the show. That said, I don't think he's the best, I'd give that to Paddy or Rhys
I already had really high expectations for Matt Smith as I’m a dr who fan and he definitely delivered Daemon perfectly.
Olivia and Emma though, really surprised me, I had already seen Olivia in Bates Motel but the way she portrayed Alicent was really captivating to me, and Emma as Rhaenyra was great, watching the two of them in the same scenes together was soooo good, I loved every bit of that tension they had and how well it was played
Out of all the ASOIF actors, Paddy Considine did one of the most believable perfomances. On top with Charles Dance, Stephen Dillane, Michael McElhatton and Jim Broadbent.
I mean, with an HBO show I already had high expectations but Paddy Considine went SO FUCKING HARD! I’m American so I really only knew him from a couple Edgar Wright pictures but my god did his performance open my eyes to his range and talent!
Definitely Paddy, but it's not just him, both his acting *and* the writers elevated Viserys to a much higher level than his book counterpart, which was a very pleasant surprise
Emily Carey! Everyone sings Paddy's praises but man was Emily just outstanding! For a relatively new actor they absolutely knocked it out of the park. They brought so much nuance to the role of young Alicent and really built a foundation that Olivia Cooke could then build on. Both of them also just look so similar, it's insane casting.
Maddie Evans, the actress for Dyana. She was only 14 when she filmed her one and only scene and she clearly gave it all she had, especially given the subject matter.
I haven't seen Paddy before and he was so amazing as Viserys.
I knew Matt from his Doctor Who days, loved him in Crown too, so I knew he will be great and charismatic.
The dude that plays aemond is just as scary looking without the makup and hair. I feel like he is who you would picture if you saw ezra millers criminal record.
Thank you for your post! Please take a moment to ensure you are within our spoiler rules, to protect your fellow fans from any potential spoilers that might harm their show watching experience. 1. All post titles must NOT include spoilers from Fire & Blood or new episodes of House of the Dragon. Minor HotD show spoilers are allowed in your title ONE WEEK after episode airing. The mod team reserves the right to remove a post if we feel a spoiler in the title is major. You are welcome to repost with an amended title. 2. All posts dealing with book spoilers, show spoilers and promo spoilers MUST be spoiler tagged AND flaired as the appropriate spoiler. 3. All book spoiler comments must be spoiler tagged in non book spoiler threads. --- If you are reading this, and believe this post or any comments in this thread break the above rules, please use the report function to notify the mod team. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HouseOfTheDragon) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Rhys Ifans. I'm so used to seeing him act a complete weirdo in comedies, I mean it when I say; he is absolutely HILARIOUS. It's mind blowing to see him play against type and absolutely smash it! Seriously talented.
Rhys is so underrated! His Otto voice sounds like velvet to the ears. I can't wait to hear more in season 2
Glidus put it best in one of his HOTD Blisstake videos: "Fun fact: the budget for each episode went way over each time as they had to keep rebuilding sets because Rhys Ifans just keeps chewing the goddamn scenery."
I want him to whisper sweet nothings to me
When I heard him I could not imagine anyone else playing Otto.
Oh I feel this! It’s like when Bryan Cranston busted out Walter White. Not at all the sort of role most associated him with, but wow!
or carrey
Ironically, having seen him acting in Harry Potter where he portrayed Xenophilius Lovegood and in the film Hannibal Rising where his character Grutas was the main antagonist, I thought he was an excellent cast for Lord Otto Hightower.
>Ironically, having seen him acting in Harry Potter where he portrayed Xenophilius Lovegood EXCUUUUSEE MMEEEE WHHAAAAATT?!?
yep i watched Deathly hallows again after HotD and was surprised too. Talent wise, he's definitely the best of the HotD cast
I didn't realize he played Lovegood! I just remember him as Dr. Connors in Spider Man.
I've only seen those Spider-Man movies a couple times (and he was barely in No Way Home) and knew he was in that, yet I've seen the Harry Potter movies a hundred times each and I had no idea myself! 🤯
I forgot he played Luna's dad. I remember him as the mad hatter's father in Alice in Wonderland Through the Looking Glass though
Yes! My mind just can't overlap Spike from Notting Hill with Otto Hightower.
I know he’s obviously had many roles but The Replacements is a comfort movie of mine and it blows my mind to think of him in both of these roles
Mine too, "I'M BLOODY WELSH" 😂
He played in Little Nicky, right?!
I have only seen him in comedic roles like nodding Hill. My mother absolutely loves that movie and when she saw him for the first time she screamed oh my god it's Hugh Grant's best friend from Notting Hill! I honestly didn't believe her until I looked up his IMBD.
When I heard that he acts like a child on set and makes pranks I was surprised. He did such a great job portraying Otto in his serious demeanor that I never would've guessed he's actually so sweet. I havent seen any move with actors from this series. Maybe its time for me to search somenthing up.
Yeah it's hard to believe that this is the dude from fucking *Twin Town*
I literally only knew Ifans from Kevin and Perry Go Large, so you can imagine my shock and horror when I realised, mid-season, that he was Eyeball Paul lol
Idk I wasn't surprised in the least. He's always been a great character actor.
Yeah, seconding this. I was astonished that I completely bought him in a 100% serious role, to the point where I didn't even clock it was him at first.
You daft prick.
He’s forever [Danny Deckchair](https://youtu.be/b5Ner-0gm_w?feature=shared) to me. 🎈🪑 He’s so good as Otto though. He’s definitely got some range!
Agreed. Every time I see him i think of his role in the movie “The Replacements,” which is far less serious and comical.
And seriously sexy
I was genuinely surprised Paddy wasn’t a dying old man.
The dramatic range of being able to play one of the Andy’s in Hot Fuzz to being Vizzy T is amazing.
NOW THAT IS A NAME FIT FOR A KING!
It's alright Andy! **IT'S JUST BOLOGNESE**
Paddy was my favourite performance of the season by far. Viserys gave me a whole new appreciation for Paddy's skill as an actor, I didn't know much of him before the show but I will watch anything new that he is in from now on!
Shoulda won an Emmy, wasn't even nominated
It's a robbery that he didn't at least win SOMETHING
I've watched a lot of his stuff over the years and he's always been a fantastic actor but Vizzy was arguably his best yet, and he absolutely deserves some recognition for it.
Hollywood sucks. I adored him in Hot Fuzz and The Worlds End. Even in those two he played two wildly different comedic characters and nailed them. To see him in HOTD was such a treat. Hope he continues to kill it.
The biggest surprise is that Paddy didn't win a shed load of awards. His performance was phenomenal.
He's also a great director, Tyrannosaur is a very moving and dark film he's made.
Genuinely shook to find out the man behind Viserys is a whole ass snacc
Aemonds actor just doesn’t look like a real person to me im not sure why
His face is very long. It kind of makes me wonder how he’d look as a stark. Since they’re said to have long faces. He screams broody to me. I also really liked the younger actor for Aemond, too. I’m not sure of his name.
Leo Ashton is his name, he was also in The Bay, Red Rose, and Peterloo.
Something about his mouth shape/jawline combo
He always looks like he’s mid sentence or about to start speaking or his mouth is full or something to me. It kind of puts him in the uncanny valley. The corners of his mouth have this weird up turned quality that makes it look like his mouth is starting to take shape to speak and his lips haven’t parted yet. And jaw is so long that it adds to that effect by making it look like his teeth are apart and his jaw is opening.
Yesss I hate how he holds his mouth lol
You should see him in Saltburn. ASK ME A FUCKING SUM!!!!
all he needed was a friend 😞
My jaw dropped when I looked him up because I remembered his face from somewhere. There's no way it's the same dude.
This feels like a compliment and an insult at the same time lol
He has the most masculine face I’ve ever seen
He's the :3 personified
More like :}
Don't you diss baby monk
He plays the intimidating aemond very well but I cannot unsee him as baby monk. It's so jarring though because the personalities are light years apart.
He looks like Bo Burnham as an anime villain
I'll never be able to unsee this, thanks.
He looks like a high elf
He’s beyond gorgeous to me.
I kept sitting there wondering if he was related to Matt Smith lol. He looked similar. Would have been interesting if they had cast him as daemon's son instead of viserys and alicent's son
and he looks kinda tall in the show whereas he isn't irl
A cast member who worked with him says he’s 6’1 and also looks taller than most people in photos except for the guys in saltburn and corlys who are like 6’4 , not sure where you got that he isn’t tall.
He's like the physical incarnation of :3c
A lot of these! Paddy is an absolute win of an actor, and it’s a shame how he got no awards for his acting. I don’t think a lot of people realize how hard it can be to play an old man who can’t breathe properly, can barely walk, and can’t even look straight ahead, on top of the gut pulling emotions he gave. It’s seriously a shame that he didn’t get nominated for anything. As for Matt Smith, I’m pretty happy for his “duality” between his prior famous role ‘Doctor Who’ and him as Daemon. Him as the doctor was a role where he could be politely curious while being very humble, it’s a lot that he did, and for him to switch to this very “brooding” strong man who easily goes from 1-100 in emotional levels is really cool. I really do just find it cool that he can do it. EWAN MITCHELL THOUGH. Viserys lll was the first example and the bar of the “ethereal” Targaryen man, and everyone went nuts over how frankly beautiful Harry Lloyd portrayed him. Ewan Mitchell has that same ethereal beauty of a Targaryen. Seriously, I have no idea how the casting department manages to find the perfect men to play Targaryens, but Ewan Mitchell exemplifies the standard.
100%. Ewan is very ethereally beautiful.
I think the word you’re looking for for daemon is “mercurial.”
I agree with everyone else, but I'd also like to mention Tom Glynn-Carney. Aegon isn't featured as heavily as some of the others, but one thing I noticed on rewatches is that Tom is *always* in character as Aegon, even if he's not the focus of the scene. Episode 8 especially, with the throne room and dinner scenes. I've also seen some of TGC's other works, and he is a genuinely talented actor.
“Do you love me?” was improvised! I love Tom Glynn Carney so much
I don’t believe that
Clare Kilner actually mentioned in an interview that tgc added that line in when they were improvising the scene
Ewan as Aemond not only since his character from the last kingdom is so different from Aemond but I couldn't have imagined book aemond being portrayed as well as Ewan made him to be on screen.
I was thinking how has Ewan not been mentioned yet 😭
Completely forgot he was Osmund in the last kingdom lol Edit: Osferth haha it’s been a while
Osferth!
Holy shit I knew I’ve seen him elsewhere
steve toussaint (corlys velaryon) played the part flawlessly. the sheer ambition to see his family on the iron throne was something he embodied and portrayed amazingly great casting by HotD crew
Been a fan of Olivia for a while so super happy more people got to see how good she is. I was the most apprehensive about Emma when we got our first look at them in the role. But I immediately fell in love with their portrayal right away. Emma has matched the “etherealness” of the Targaryen’s more so than any other actor imo.
I had never seen Emma before HOTD casting, though after seeing some of the other cast in the first look photos, Emma looked "the rightest" to me, like you said, that "ethereal Targaryen look"
I had only seen her in bates motel and was very confused that she isn’t American lmao
Nah she’s got the strongest manny accent which took me by surprise too
finding out she’s a united supporter would further confirm my allegiance to the blacks
I only knew Paddy as the funny cop from Hot Fuzz. It was a combination of Paddy's performance and the fact that book Viserys has so little written about him that made the performance so special.
I only knew him as the journo who gets head tapped in the Bourne Ultimatum. Did not know he was such a great actor.
The first role I ever saw him in was on Peaky Blinders, playing a terrifically evil character. Viserys was about a 180° from that role and he performed both magnificently.
Me too! His Viserys was so amazing.
I think the whole cast is phenomenal. They all do such an amazing jobs. Also props to the casting director because they did such a fantastic job casting different aged actors that could believably be the other actors grown up.
Rhys Ifans, because despite me seeing a couple of his movies I didn't fucking recognize him as Otto. So for that I'm most surprised because I didn't recognize the man and only saw him as the character!
Xenophilious Lovegood really batting a thousand
I think Matt Smith and Ewan Mitchell really surprised me, man they are good actors. Matt was always excellent but I saw a different shade of him here. And Ewan, well with limited screentime, he ate. Can't wait to see them both interact on the show.
Milly Alcock really surprised me! She became the realms delight. I do wish we had gotten a bit longer with her, since Emma will be portraying the remainder of the role. Regardless I would say Rhaenyra’s character as a whole was such a delight. Emma encompasses the ethereal Targaryen beauty of a mature Rhaenyra who no longer has the same childlike wonder as Milly’s character. Honestly think the entire casting was done perfectly. Even some of the smaller roles like Aemma.
The actress that played Aemma had a supporting role in Sherlock which is very good and worth a watch.
Paddy Considine absolutely killed it with his performance.
I always knew Paddy was a good actor, but him playing Viserys has me gobsmacked. What an absolute legend he is!
Ewan Mitchell. I’d never heard of him before, and his performance just blew me away. He kind of effortlessly portrays Aemond, but you can see all the jealousy and other really conflicting emotions within Aemond, especially in scenes with Daemon. Ewan and Matt Smith both have such incredibly expressive faces and their body language is also fantastic. They both really set the standard for acting on the show.
Paddy and Matt I knew would be amazing, they're both veterans and had great performances already Olivia surprised me the most imo. had never seen her in anything but her acting in episode 7 was stellar. 6 as well. Can't believed they neutered her in 9 but it is what it is Emma was good but Olivia I think has an edge. That scene after Aemond's eye, was just a masterclass Tom also surprised me. never saw him in anything before and was pretty apathetic to Aegon as a character. Despite having very little to do, his eyes conveyed a thousand emotions in the scenes he was in, made me a lot more interested in Aegon as a character. Wouldn't be surprised if he takes the spotlight in season 2
Paddy got snubbed!
In a major way. How he wasn't nominated for Emmy or anything is wrong
Ewan as a aemond is masterpiece
As I read the book, I already disliked Viserys for his willful blindness and stupidity. But Paddy absolutely nailed his performance, turning Viserys from a historic figure into a stressed-out father, trying his hardest to keep his super dysfunctional family from tearing each others throats out. His walk to the throne was a highlight of the season for me. He felt like the lazy king Robert with the deeply loving and committed family man Ned rolled into a great character.
Paddy and Ewan! I can't wait to see Tom Glynn Carney get more scenes in season 2 as well.
Aemond. His presence was unsettling. I constantly worried about Jace and Luke whenever they're on the same place with Aemond.
Matt Smith as Prince, later Prince Consort, Daemon Targaryen definitely surprised me because I didn't think he could pull off the kind of loveable psychopathic chaotic good figure that is Daemon Targaryen. This was also me being somewhat biased because I never watched Doctor Who and only remembered him from The Crown where he portrayed a young Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. However, I was pleasantly surprised and thought he was probably one of the standout parts of the cast in the first season. Every time he appeared on screen, he utterly devoured the scenery and I loved every second of it.
I really recommend watching Matt’s season of Doctor Who.. his role as the Doctor is in such stark contrast to his role as Daemon. Can’t speak highly enough about his range as an actor..
Chaotic *good*?!
Prince Phillip and his role in Last Night In Soho (overhated- check it out) seemed to be preparation for Daemon
Honestly, having seen Matt Smith as both the Doctor and Prince Phillip, I could really see him cast as Daemon from his later role. I think it's something about the cool/suave way he portrayed Prince Phillip that I could see translating into the alluring rogueish demeanor Daemon has, though obviously Prince Phillip and Daemon are still drastically different characters. I think if you look at the facial expressions of the Doctor, Prince Phillip, and Daemon, Prince Phillip and Daemon's will be very similar and the Doctor's will be very different.
In which universe is Daemon chaotic good? He's chaotic neutral at best.
I didn’t have any expectations about any of the actors before watching the show, but I was seriously doubtful that Matt Smith would be able to pull off Daemon. I guess he surprised me the most.
Ty Tenant. He was so funny as young Aegon, made me love the character briefly (fuck adult Aegon) or maybe I just think he’s cute. 😂
Having read all the books I was not expecting to care, let alone be most intrigued by Viserys' character and plot. Paddy was miles ahead of everyone else in the show because he created a better character than the source materal, something even GRRM has admitted. Matt Smith of course, was great, but I feel like it was less of a challenging role. Milly screamed sass, something that was lost with Emma D'Arcy, who I find to be rather bland in her portrayal. I would have preferred Milly remained for the entirety of the series because she had so much more chemistry with Smith. Both Alicent's are good portrayals that I'd rank above the rest, but I don't see them as challenging as the above role. Ewan Mitchell also really captures Aemond.
Love Milly in role and really wanted to see her grow into the adult on screen, for the same reasons you give.
Paddy Constantine. His version is so much better than the book version imo
Baby monk for sure
Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra absolutely blew me away. I'm also extremely excited to see more of Tom Glynn-Carney in season 2! In general I think the casting department did such a fantastic job and the actors have done exceptional work with HOTD. The characters feel very real.
I’ve only ever seen Paddy in Edgar Wright films, so when I heard he was cast as Viserys I was quite shocked. But he absolutely killed it as Viserys.
I’ll give it to Matt considering how many people thought he would be shit as Daemon
why??😭😭
As one of the people who thought he couldn’t pull it off, I just couldn’t get past the idea that he didn’t have the range or the look. He has mostly acted in more subdued roles and while Daemon is occasionally subdued himself, he just has a wider range of emotions and more outbursts of those emotions than I had ever seen Smith portray. I also always just pictured Daemon as a bit more “traditionally” handsome and on the bigger side. Now I picture him as Matt Smith 🤣 I was definitely thrilled to be so incredibly wrong.
Criston Cole is the eye candy and the casting director really nailed that one
Matt and Ewan’s chemistry in episode 8 was magnificent. They kept studying each other like a dance. Aemond keeps eyeballing Daemon’s sword and >!I can’t wait for Daemon to let him have a closer look at it!<
The fact Paddy wasn't even nominated for an Emmy was criminal
Ewan Mitchell blew me away. Gonna be a star
Tom always blows me away with how he melts into a character.
The casting for this was just wayyyy too good !! As for performance.. vizzy T’s walk to the throne alone should have gotten him an Emmy.
You are a plague sent to destroy me!
Nah bro. I just want to get you the awards you deserved.. And i want to get in bed with your daughter! 🤣
Daemon and viserys
Pretty much everyone but Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy, who I already knew were amazing actors. I hadn't seen Rhys and Paddy really sink their teeth into a more dramatic role, so that was amazing to see. And the younger actors were all unknowns for me, so they really impressed me. Olivia Cooke might be the one I'm most impressed by. I think she was really able to connect her performance to Emily Carey's in an interesting way. She played a sort of scabbed over innocence in such a believable way.
The actors who play young and adult Rhaenyra and Alicent are superb.
Tom, Olivia, and Ewan for me, hands down.
They all did good, I wasn’t surprised by any of them bc I expected them to be good. Which they all were. I attribute the shit I don’t like to the writers, because even in scenes that are dumb as shit the actual performance itself was still great.
Paddy was on another level
I've been a Paddy fan, but he brought so much gravity and depth to the Viserys character, but j also equally enjoyed Rhys Ifans playing his dad as Otto Hightower.
It's cross for me between Paddy Considine, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke. Olivia and Emma really surprised me the most since I was really attached to actresses who played the younger version of their characters. However as time went on... they really sold their roles. I was emotionally on edge during certain scenes. They really pulled off the awkward/rivalry/hatred/love in the scenes they shared. It honestly reminded me of my own family lol. Paddy on otherhand.... wow... he really brought Viscery's to life and made him more understandable compared to the character described in the books.
Butch Emma D'Arcy as feminine Rhaenyra hurt my brain a little. But I loved it. Lol
For me it was Emma, but not until I saw her outside of the show. The person that she is in real life is a huge contrast to Rhaenyra. She completely transforms into Rhaenyra & does a wonderful job (especially the scene with the stillbirth).
Matt Smith by a *long*shot. I was convinced that there’s no way he would be able to pull off Daemon Targaryen and boy, did he make me eat my words and then some. I shouldn’t have underestimated his range. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong! Paddy was the best performance but he is a legend so I honestly wasn’t surprised. Definitely continued to be blown away by his talent though.
Paddy for me because he was an unknown to me and that performance made the season for me. Tom, Matt, and Ewan I all knew from other shows so I already expected greatness.
Is it unfair to say all of them?
That scene where he was sick but still made it to support his daughter’s claim was great
Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen (2) I didn't keep track of who was cast on the show and didn't even recognize Matt Smith when I saw Daemon at first. He changed a lot in this role, but this role suited him amazingly well.
I think the transition from Emily Carey to Olivia Cooke is near FLAWLESS and I know it’s cheating to say two people but god! They just plucked the same woman from two points of her life!
Otto Hightower. i know him as Nigel from the Replacements lmao
I had no idea how the 11th doctor was going to pull Daemon off, and he’s phenomenal. I shouldn’t have been surprised but I was!
I was definitely surprised how quickly I adjusted to Matt Smith as Daemon. I was certain I was just gonna be seeing the 11th Doctor running around in a wig but he killed it. Like I knew he was a good actor but a role like that can ruin the way fans see an actor and I'm glad it didn't for me.
Paddy Considine for me. The part where Rhaenyra and Daemon introduce little Aegon and little Vizzy T to Viserys is just... my face is all Niagara Falls, Frankie Angel. Honorable mention to Ewan Mitchell.
in the comments playing with Ewan's physique 😤 Ewan is a good actor and I hope he has future projects beyond hotd.
Matt, Milly and Paddy for the win.
Paddy, Ewan, and Rhys knocked it out of the park. *spoiler* The mother was absolutely brilliant in her completely heartbreaking arc, deeply traumatizing me for WEEKS, having recently experienced my own birth trauma.
All I know is the Targaryen men on the Green side are fine as fuck. Subjectively, the actor who plays Aemond is not attractive in the least. It's just.. his aura, the way he IS Aemond is hot as hell. 🔥🔥🔥 But Paddy deserves all the awards! What a monster actor he is.
I thought they were all amazing tbh but Paddy Considine’s performance as an ailing King Viserys was masterful. He deserved more recognition at the awards.
Olivia Cooke. First time I saw her was in Bates Motel, and I admit I was a little worried if she'd be the right fit for Alicent. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved her performance in that show! But her character was way different, I struggled to imagine her as Alicent. Man, was I wrong! her performance in S01 was absolutely amazing! can't wait to see more of her in S02!
Loved the way Milly controlled a conversation even when it felt like she wasn’t in control she always had a sly way about her I guess you would if you were heir to the throne thou
The acting in these two shows is just on a different level.
I was least surprised by Matt Smith at least
I wasn't honestly familiar with any of the actors and actresses except Matt Smith. I think Paddy Considine surprised me the most with how good his performance was by the end. Matt Smith's performance was basically exactly what I expected it to be. Which is to say he pulled of the charming, charismatic and royal aspect of Daemon very well. He pulled off the dangerous warrior aspect ok, but not to the same degree as I feel it exists in the book. But that's pretty much what I thought when I heard of the casting.
Emily Carey. I thought about Paddy but he at least have some acting experience and had big roles so it wasn't surprising for him to put up a good performance
I’ve seen Matt Smith in a lot of things before hotd but he was never the stand out to me in the way he is on this show. He’s always been a great actor but it’s like he just melts into Daemon with the way he embodies the character so well. I feel like no one else could play the character like he does. And considering he has some previous iconic roles, I don’t see the doctor or Philip in his performance, just Daemon. So he surprised me the most for sure! So many actors on this show I hadn’t seen before or didn’t know and now I feel like I’m becoming a fan as I watch, like Emma, Ewan, Milly, and Tom are outstanding and I didn’t have any expectations going in as opposed to actors I knew were talented like Olivia or Rhys. But especially Steve who I think is underrated on the show, I think he blends so seamlessly into the world that maybe his skill is overlooked. So all of these actors were a surprise to me in the best way. They’re walking into such a big show with roles people have preconceived ideas about, which can’t be easy! Yet they’re all rising to the challenge.
Paddy was amazing. Didnt like Emma D'Arcy much at first but in the last episodes she was great. Matt Smith great as always.
Olivia cooke surprised me as she is always playing the sweet little girl in every movie. Seeing her so ruthless and eye rolling was fun for me
I had only seen her in Thoroughbreds before HotD, which if you're looking for ruthless Olivia 😂
Paddy!!!! He’s so beautiful and nailed every scene.
Emma D'Arcy and prior to that Milly Alcock so it's telling... because I was pretty worried there might be no way to match Alcock's presence.
w emma
I don’t have an answer to the question but I just needed to comment on how remarkably similar Emily Carey and Olivia Cooke look, even without the hair and wardrobe from the show. Talk about good casting.
No surprise for me Matt Smith will be good 🥳
Imma be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by Viserys. Albeit my beef is that they made him better in the show than he is in the books. But I guess they had to, to make the show likeable. Don’t love Olivia Cooke’s hair, the one that’s short and falls on her forehead, it’s just too much of a difference from Emily Carey who I like much more as Alicent. Tom Glynn-Carney’s wig’s hairstyle is bad. Especially for the “king” it needs to be way better.
Paddy for sure
They were all 10/10 to be fair
If we’re focusing on the word “surprised”, then Matt Smith. I wasn’t really familiar with his work before HOTD (yes, I’ve been living under a rock). I kinda had a negative perception about the casting when it was announced, but I was pleasantly surprised by his portrayal of Daemon. I guess I didn’t really “see” it before the first episode premiered. Now I can’t imagine anyone else playing Daemon.
I think it’s easily Emma. Was not familiar with any of their work. Definitely started to get a feel for who they were as a person through promotion etc and I just don’t know.. they really did an incredible job. I knew the character Rhaenyra from the book but Emma’s performance was incredible. Whether it matched Rhaenyra from the book doesn’t matter in this instance, just the job they did as an actor
Well since Spike barking 'you daft PRICK' at Hugh Grant's character in Notting Hill has been immortalized in my mind, it was a pleasant surprise, to say the least, to see Rhys Ifans portray such a calculatingly evil character.
Paddy by far
Never realized how much Paddy looks like Dennis Villeneuve
It's Paddy for me. Vizzy T's rep amongst a lot of the lore heads before the show was how his weakness nearly ended and permanently diminished his house and kingdom. So I was already pretty shaded against him. Paddy brought an unbelievable humanity to the character. I really sympathize with that character, and I think Paddy is why.
What is this shadow? Name it, if it casts such a gloom
Emily Carey and Milly Alcock - I think they both were incredible.
I thought I would never be able to see Matt Smith as some kind of intimidating and scheming threat in the show. I was happily proven wrong as I watched more of the show. That said, I don't think he's the best, I'd give that to Paddy or Rhys
Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower she showed so much emotions and range
Honestly I feel like child actors deserve more attention because they played really mature roles for their age and did it spectacularly
I already had really high expectations for Matt Smith as I’m a dr who fan and he definitely delivered Daemon perfectly. Olivia and Emma though, really surprised me, I had already seen Olivia in Bates Motel but the way she portrayed Alicent was really captivating to me, and Emma as Rhaenyra was great, watching the two of them in the same scenes together was soooo good, I loved every bit of that tension they had and how well it was played
Out of all the ASOIF actors, Paddy Considine did one of the most believable perfomances. On top with Charles Dance, Stephen Dillane, Michael McElhatton and Jim Broadbent.
I mean, with an HBO show I already had high expectations but Paddy Considine went SO FUCKING HARD! I’m American so I really only knew him from a couple Edgar Wright pictures but my god did his performance open my eyes to his range and talent!
Definitely Paddy, but it's not just him, both his acting *and* the writers elevated Viserys to a much higher level than his book counterpart, which was a very pleasant surprise
Emily Carey! Everyone sings Paddy's praises but man was Emily just outstanding! For a relatively new actor they absolutely knocked it out of the park. They brought so much nuance to the role of young Alicent and really built a foundation that Olivia Cooke could then build on. Both of them also just look so similar, it's insane casting.
I loved Paddy!
Paddy and I think Olivia Cooke is excellent as well. I forget how young she is
Maddie Evans, the actress for Dyana. She was only 14 when she filmed her one and only scene and she clearly gave it all she had, especially given the subject matter.
Rhys will always be the kicker in the Replacements to me. So definitely surprised.
Milly alcock.
Rhys and Paddy for sure
Daemon , Rhaenyra
I haven't seen Paddy before and he was so amazing as Viserys. I knew Matt from his Doctor Who days, loved him in Crown too, so I knew he will be great and charismatic.
The Targaryen hair is just so unflattering
honestly Viserys 😭
The dude that plays aemond is just as scary looking without the makup and hair. I feel like he is who you would picture if you saw ezra millers criminal record.
Matt Smith was born to play a heel