House of the Dragon Stars Reveal Secret to Playing Characters Who Are Both Spouses and Siblings

ComicBook talked to Tom Glynn-Carney and Phia Saban about their onscreen relationship.

By Jamie Jirak

It's been nearly two years since the first season of HBO's House of the Dragon came to an end, and after a long wait, the Game of Thrones prequel is finally back tonight. Now that Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) has appointed her son, Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) the new king, the war between her and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) is in full swing. There's a lot of madness going on between the divided Targaryens, but the family is still up to their old tricks. There are a lot of questionable pairings in George R.R. Martin's world, including the marriage between Aegon and his sister, Helaena (Phia Saban). ComicBook recently had the chance to chat with Glynn-Carney and Saban who spoke about their secret to playing both siblings and spouses.

"It comes worryingly naturally," Glynn-Carney joked. "Yeah," Saban agreed with a laugh. "That was our suggestion, actually."

"No, I think you sort of, just very early on, you just accept that this is what's normal around these parts and then you just go from it from there," she continued. "For me, it's almost more effective, more heartbreaking that, you know, not only as siblings but also as parents and lovers – Not lovers, sorry, married couple, definitely not lovers."

"Definitely quite the opposite," Glynn-Carney clarified. "Well, I guess we're gonna talk technically," Saban continued. "I would say that it's almost more heartbreaking that with all of that in common, they can't find this common ground, and they can't be there for each other when actually they're the only people that understand what they're going through."

What Is House of the Dragon About?

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.

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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. 

House of the Dragon returns to HBO tonight. 

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