Westeros

Over at the movie prop collecting podcast The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of, House of the Dragon co-creator Ryan Condal recently offered a window into the show’s production as the third season filming is hurtling to completion, detailing a tradition he’s started on the show.

Speaking with his co-host, David Mandel (Veep, Seinfeld), Condal confirmed that as the series moves into its later seasons, a growing number of principal characters are having their “series wrap”. Filmed sometime after the 13th or 14th based on remarks on a recent auction, Condal noted that in the last ten days or so of filming there were several such “wraps”. In the unforgiving world of Westeros, of course, we all know what that means. Condal, whose passion for props apparently amuses his show’s directors and writers, revealed that he has adopted a tradition inspired by Peter Jackson’s celebrated practice on The Lord of the Rings: sending off each departing actor with a significant prop tied to their character.

He shared a particularly moving story about Paddy Considine, whose performance as Viserys Targaryen was an absolute highlight of the first season. According to Condal, Considine formed a deep connection with the Valyrian steel dagger that was a constant part of his costume. For the actor, the knife was a physical totem representing the immense weight of the secret prophecy Viserys had to bear. “It was more than the crown, more than anything,” Condal says, emphasizing the dagger’s importance to Considine’s portrayal.

While the tradition wasn’t in place during the whirlwind production of season one, Condal made it up to the actor when he returned for a brief appearance in season two. On his first day on set, Condal surprised Considine by presenting him with one of the “hero” prop knives, specially mounted for display. He described the actor as being “absolutely blown out of his mind” by the gift.

For those familiar with the events of the Dance of the Dragon, there’s a few easy guesses as to which characters have met their grisly end as the third season production comes nearer to closing.

You can see the full segment on the wrap gifts and Paddy’s reaction below: