House of the Dragon unknown facts and behind-the-scenes stories that'll definitely leave you surprised!

For a show that's watched by the entire world, you think you might know everything about it but wait till you read these House of the Dragon unknown facts!

Being a die-hard Game of Thrones fan, I terribly missed the world of Westeros and the scheming, planning, and plotting it brought with it. Predicting what will happen in the next episode, and diving deeper into this magnum opus that George R.R. Martin has created was one of my favorite things to do. With House of the Dragon, I saw that as another opportunity to immerse myself in learning what really began the doom of House Targaryen. And meanwhile, these House of the Dragon unknown facts are what keeps us going!

We're currently seven episodes in, and it honestly keeps getting better as we keep going further into the story. The Targaryens are divided into two sides, and both Allicent and Rhaenyra have their claws out and eyes on the throne. There's not much time before we get to see the Dance of the Dragons! But, of course, there's a lot that goes into bringing these characters and sets come to life. So many unknown facts and decisions are made behind the scenes for us to get the best final result to watch.

Also Read: These Rhaenyra and Daenerys Targaryen similarities make you feel like they’re the same person!

So let's go beyond the series and get to know the off-screen world of House of the Dragon!

Book vs the show

House of the Dragon is based on the book Fire and Blood. The book has the liberty to write the story in depth but unfortunately, the show cannot be as long which is why there are some changes that needed to be made in order to make the timeline faster.

According to the books, Alicent and Rhaenyra are not childhood best friends!

In the books, Alicent is actually nine years older than Rhaenyra and the two were of course good acquaintances of each other but not childhood besties as they show in House of the Dragon. They're probably best friends in the show to add more to the drama that's about to tear them apart. Also, the two are almost the same age in the show, to make it easier for the audience to digest when they're married off and have lots of children.

Laena Velaryon is not killed by her own dragon

In the show we see Laena asking her dragon to breathe fire on her to remove her from the miserable pain she is suffering due to difficulties in her delivery. But in the books, she gives birth to a stillborn and is on bed rest for days after her delivery. She wakes up one final time to ride Vhagar but before she could even reach her dragon, she collapses and dies on the tower steps and her body is carried back to her bed by Daemon himself.

It's actually Joffrey Velaryon who catches Aemond Targaryen stealing Vhagar in the night

In the books, it's actually Joffrey Velaryon (Rhaenyra's youngest son) who caught Aemond making his claim on the biggest dragon in the world in midst of the night. He then tells his older brothers Jacerys and Lucerys about it and the three brothers break into a fight with Aemond which results in him losing an eye by the end of it. In the show too, it's pretty similar except that Joffrey is still a newborn so instead of him it's Baela and Rhaena who catch Aemond stealing their mother's dragon.

Coming to the behind-the-scenes part of it, here are some unknown facts about the phenomenal cast and crew of the show!

Matt Smith was always the first choice to play Prince Daemon Targaryen

The makers of House of the Dragon couldn't imagine anyone else but him to play the role of the silver-haired cunning prince. The character of Daemon Targaryen was always written for the screen with Matt Smith in mind.

Emma D'Arcy and Milly Alcock were told not to speak before filming

Since both of them are playing the role of Rheanyra Targaryen but at different ages, director Miguel Sapochnik asked them to steer clear of one another so that they don't end up copying each other's performances.

We will get to see 17 dragons throughout the series

We're at the peak of the Targaryen rule so it goes without saying that we'll get to see a lot of dragons. Something that we did not get to experience in Game of Thrones. This season we have Caraxes, Syrax, and Vhagar being the biggest of dragons but there are so many other dragons already conceptualized and ready for the upcoming seasons.

Director and co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik is done after season one

Miguel Sapochnik is exhausted after three years of planning and making this show. He will be a part of House of the Dragon in a smaller capacity but Alan Taylor will be putting on the director's hat from the second season onwards.

They filmed the wedding of Alicent Hightower and King Viserys but it was cut from the show

There were originally plans for Allicent and Viserys' wedding to make it to the show but was eventually cut off due to time constraints. This means there does exist a scene where Allicent wore a beautiful wedding dress, and a tiara and had her hair done.

House of the Dragon is based on true events

George R.R. Martin revealed that the show is based on events of the 12th century called The Anarchy. It is a part of English history. King Henry I loses his only male heir when he drowns while crossing the English channel. So he names his daughter, Matilda the heir to his throne. Although after his death the whole realm refuses to accept her as Queen and takes matters into their own hands.

There are more Game of Thrones spin-offs coming our way!

HBO has started working on a series based on the adventures of Jon Snow set after the events of Game of Thrones. There are also plans for a series based on Corlys Velaryon called the Sea Snake and also a series following Queen Nymeria from House Martell.

Olivia Cooke didn't watch Game of Thrones until after her audition

Once she knew she was about to get the part, she binged all eight seasons of Game of Thrones. Even though she was told by friends and family to watch it before, she's someone who likes doing things at her own pace.

These House of the Dragon unknown facts are as intriguing as the show and with the last few episodes on their way, we cannot wait for the season to unfold further!

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