One key House of the Dragon actor is revealed to be missing from the season 2 cast list. After the massive worldwide success of Game of Thrones, the pressure was on for HBO to keep the ball rolling with a spinoff show that gave viewers the same epic fantasy experience as the original series. The result of the network’s efforts, House of the Dragon, finally arrived in 2022, bringing even more fire-breathing dragons than Game of Thrones, along with a healthy dose of family drama and political intrigue.
The huge success of the new Game of Thrones series means House of the Dragon season 2 is currently set to begin filming, but at least one key season 1 actor has been revealed to be missing from the show’s cast list. As reported by TVLine, when HBO officially announced the start of work on season 2 and ran down returning cast members, Ser Harrold Westerling actor Graham McTavish was notable by his absence.
Where Might Ser Harrold Be In House Of The Dragon Season 2
Ser Harrold Westerling was not a major character throughout House of the Dragon season 1, but did play a key role late in the action. In episode 9 “The Green Council,” amid the plot to crown Aegon Targaryen, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard was ordered by Otto Hightower to take his knights to Dragonstone and murder Princess Rhaenyra. But out of a sense of duty to the dead King Viserys, he refused the order, dramatically handing in his white cape.
That was the last audiences saw of Ser Harrold in House of the Dragon season 1, but might not be the last they ever see of him on the show. Importantly, Ser Harrold was not seen being killed, which means he’s presumably alive somewhere and likely keeping tabs on events in Westeros. Given his loyalty to Viserys and by extension Rhaenyra, it would not be surprising to see Ser Harrold Westerling re-emerge at a key moment somewhere in the future, perhaps in a later season of the show. In an interview last year with TVLine, Ser Harrold actor McTavish vaguely addressed his own potential future on the show, saying there were possibilities for “any number of scenarios.”
At least in the case of Ser Harrold, there are no clues to be gleaned about a potential future from House of the Dragon’s source material, because in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the character is dead long before the Dance of the Dragons begins. Ser Harrold then has already been far more involved in House of the Dragon’s story than he ever was in Martin’s original literary universe. Things may then be set up for Ser Harrold to make a return, but if the character doesn’t come back, it would not be a shocking or major loss, as there are plenty of other House of the Dragon characters for writers to focus on.