House of the Dragon Star Addresses Helaena’s Big Change From the Book

WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for House of the Dragon Season 2! Continue reading at your own risk… There were plenty of surprising moments in Sunday’s , but perhaps none as important as the confirmation of Helaena Targaryen’s abilities. In a major change from George R.R. Martin’s source material, Helaena was revealed as a dragon dreamer, aka a Targaryen with a prophetic gift. 

After seemingly predicting the future on different occasions, Helaena appeared in Daemon’s haunting vision in the season finale, telling him about his place in the overall Targaryen story. This was a massive demonstration of power on Helaena’s part, confirming that there is way more to her than anyone expected. Phia Saban, who plays Helaena on the series, spoke to EW after the finale and opened up about her character’s big change.

“I know that people feel so passionately and lovingly towards the original story, but I think that me, as a fan of things, I love a certain level of loyalty,” Saban said. “Then I love the idea that I can be surprised or something could be subverted. It more flatters the audience’s intelligence when you get to surprise them and subvert things, so I like the idea that people didn’t see that coming for Helaena.”

Saban went on to say that she doesn’t know where Helaena’s story is going, nor how far the character’s powers extend. But this puts her at the center of the story in a way that she wasn’t prior to the most recent episode.

“The thing is that I really have absolutely no idea what’s happening next season,” she explained. “I think that moment in episode 8 is an example of how clear and how powerful she can be, but I don’t think that’s the beginning of now she can just communicate like that. I wouldn’t be surprised if she walks away from Aemond, [mimes shaking her head and shoulders and blows out a breath], and she goes inside and goes to her room and that doesn’t happen again for a long time.

“So who knows, but it would be really cool if I got to spend more time in that vision dream world. I would love that. There’s that moment when Daemon’s going over to the tree, and then there’s a guy with a deer head or something. I think Helaena should hang out with him.”

Based on George R.R. Martin‘s “Fire & Blood” book, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. In Season 2 of House of the Dragon, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra, respectively. New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.

The cast for House of the Dragon includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, and Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower.