The House of the Dragon actors talk about their hair game in “The Wigs of Westeros” (of thrones)

House of a Dragon is a TYPE of TV show for the network.
Imaginary Drama
Forget about the new Iron Thrones design and the dragons. One specific aspect of House of the Dragon is what the audience wants to know: the wigs!

We questioned the actors about their opinions of the huge wigs that several of them had to wear while on the set of the Game with Thrones prequel for EW’s online cover shot. The finest narrative belongs to Emma Indicated, who plays Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen.

House of the Dragon is set during a time when the Targaryens controlled Westeros and a civil war over the throne was about to start, hundreds of years well before the events of HBO’s Game of Thrones. The silver-haired Rhaenyra is a key figure in the impending struggle as the daughter of King Viserys I (Paddy Singh and Singh) and his chosen successor.

Building of the Dragon
In “House of the Dragon,” Emma D’Arcy assumes the identity of Princess Rhaenyra Daenerys, heir to an Iron Throne. CREDIT | They “lived as Rhaenyra for roughly three months” during the COVID-19 epidemic while they filmed “rounds and rounds of self videos” for the audition, according to NADAV KANDER FOR EW D’Arcy, who uses they/them pronouns.

The showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal and I were on a Zoom conversation at some point during that, and Miguel questioned me if I could have a wig, they recall. D’Arcy, who has hair that is notably short, answered, “Do I seem like someone who wears a wig?”

“And this is mid-pandemic where the only things that are open are supermarkets,” D’Arcy adds. “I just had a few hair extensions that were left over from a job. No notion of how to connect them to me, neither a method nor a means. I can’t put enough stress on the word “tried,” but for 24 hours, my boyfriend and I just tried. My hair was around the length it is today. These wig grips were attached to the hair extensions with hot glue. We believed we had it figured out because we would send Miguel pictures. Can you keep trying, he said. We continued looking until we discovered something that made it appear as though I had long hair. After that, every time we recorded, I would watch television while my companion did my fake hair for just an hour or two before we began recording.”

Since they were chosen for the part, D’Arcy has had to live with a high-quality Targaryen wig. They comment while seated next to Matt Smith, who plays Rhaenyra’s uncle, Prince Daemon Targaryen, that “I adore wearing a wig, it turns out.” It’s simply quite transformational.

Building of the Dragon
Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) & Princess Rhaenys Targaryen are members of House Velaryon (Eve Best). PHOTO: NADAV KANDER FOR EW
Princess Rhaenys Targaryen’s on-screen counterpart, Eve Best, talks up about what it’s truly like to work with all that hair. “A wigs! It takes a certain amount of effort to enter them and leave them “she claims.

Alicent Hightower, the Hand of the King’s daughter, is portrayed by Olivia Cooke, who doesn’t require nearly as much wig work as actors portraying members are House Targaryen and House Velaryon. However, she has a few extensions for a few episodes.

“Then there are all the fight sequences, where the wigs are ruined by the blood and another crud that is splashed all over. It’s easy to see how dejected the hair and makeup artists are “she claims.

In the video interview of House of the Dragon by Entertainment Weekly, you can see more of the actors discussing their wigs.