House Of The Dragon star Eve Best has revealed details of the top secret audition process she went through for the Game Of Thrones prequel.
The Princess Rhaenys Velaryon actress, 51, said hopefuls for the show based on the Fire and Blood series by George RR Martin were sent a scene from the original Game of Thrones with the names changed to audition.
The Tony Award-nominee said actors competing for a role weren’t even told its title but were eventually sent a real script.
‘I loved the writing. Ryan [Condal] and Miguel [Sapochnik, co-showrunners] hooked me in immediately with the driving theme of the series,’ she told The Guardian.
‘There is a line my character says early on, “men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend to the Iron Throne.”
‘Lose the word “Iron” from that sentence and it feels all too relevant. To top it all off, they told me my character was a dragon rider. I was in!’
She also described how amazing it was to take part in dragon riding scenes for the show.
‘You climb up a huge ladder onto this extraordinary machine, then get strapped in,’ she said.
‘It moves and makes alarming noises, while a wind machine blasts you. I was bruised to hell the next day.’
Eve, who had never seen Game Of Thrones before filming for House Of The Dragon, is part of a star-studded cast including Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, and Graham McTavish.
Set 300 years before the events of Game Of Thrones, House Of The Dragon will follow the Targaryen family history, starting right at the formation of Westeros.
House Of The Dragon will be the first in a number of planned spin-off series to arrive from HBO – including one focused on Jon Snow – offering a deeper dive into the history and mythology of Martin’s creation.
House of the Dragon will premiere on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW on August 22 2022.
MORE : How to watch House Of The Dragon in the UK?
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