They simply can’t let go of Westeros

Given that Game of Thrones preceded the production of House of the Dragon, it only seems natural for fans to wonder what the original actors from the seven kingdoms think about the prequel to their show. With some of the former cast expressing their excitement about the show and others who simply won’t go anywhere near it, here’s what some of our favourite GOT cast said about House of the Dragon.

‘It’s too weird … I just can’t do it’

When asked in an interview if she too was fawning over the latest addition to the world of Westeros and binging House of the Dragon, iconic Khaleesi, Emilia Clarke, hesitated before exclaiming “it’s too weird … I just can’t do it”. She told People that whilst she’s excited for the show’s success, it felt a little too close to home when hit came to watching it. She said: “I feel so content and happy with what my experience was, that I think watching the new one would just feel so odd, I think.

“It’s like someone saying do you want to go to a school reunion that’s not your year?”. In other words – it’s just not your place, and when she puts it like that I guess we can understand.

‘It’s hard for me to watch because I lived in it for so long’

Similarly to Emilia, when Kit was asked about watching House of the Dragon, Kit Harington expressed bittersweet sentiment. Being good friends with Miguel Sapochnik who runs the show, he praised its production, despite describing it as “painful” to watch. Explaining that this is due to his attachment to the fantasy world, he told Extra TV: “I loved it. I think they’ve done a fantastic job with it. Really great job, and I think all the acting in it’s superb.”

Kit added: “It’s hard for me to watch because I lived in it for so long. There’s a pain there, you know? So I’m working my way through it slowly.”

Kit Harington stayed close to his character after the end of the show and began working in the production stages of a spin off series centred around Jon Snow, before unfortunately deciding not to go forward with it due to impracticalities.

‘I haven’t seen it yet’

At first, Peter Dinklage voiced his concerns over the series trying to recreate Game of Thrones, telling The Independent: “I think the trick is not to try to recreate Thrones.

“If you try to recreate it, that feels like a money grab. With a lot of sequels, the reason for them is that the first one made a lot of money, which is why they aren’t as strong.”

That being said, Peter did say he was “excited” to watch the series “purely as a viewer, not knowing what will happen next”, although hasn’t gotten round to it yet. He told Entertainment Tonight: “I haven’t seen it yet. I just did that show for a really long time, and I watched some other stuff. [But] I intend to, definitely. I heard it’s really good.”

‘This is too soon’

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau had fans going through a rollercoaster of emotions during his time of Game of Thrones. The Danish actor was curious about the follow up series and explained how “surreal” it felt to no longer be involved in a project about Westeros. Although he has attempted to get into the show, Nikolaj claimed that it felt “too familiar” so hasn’t managed to get through it yet.

He told Entertainment Weekly: “I have not [seen House of the Dragon]. One day it came on and I saw the opening credits. And it was a little strange because it was the same music and the title sequence was kind of similar.

“I was like, ‘Ah, this is too soon. Too soon’”. Clearly, it is a world still very close to all their hearts.

‘I was like, let me sit down and watch Game of Thrones again’

Maisie Williams practically grew up on the set of Game of Thrones. Being one of the youngest cast members from the original series, it’s no surprise that she’s in the loop with House of the Dragon.

On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Maisie explained how she understood the buzz and exitement around the new series and how it even sparked viewers to go back and re-watch Game of Thrones. She said: “Obviously House of the Dragon came back, and I think like a lot of people I was like, ‘Let me sit down and watch ‘Game of Thrones’ again.”

She even shared some of her wisdom from her GOT experience with Olivia Cooke after she landed the role of Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon. It would be fair to assume she’s just as obsessed with it as us!