‘House Of The Dragon’ Themes Are Universal: Graham McTavish

The legacy of the house of fire and blood is set to unravel in ‘House Of The Dragon’. Based on George RR Martin's book ‘Fire And Blood’, the 10-episode series is a remarkable, turbulent story of the House of Targaryen, set 200 years before the events that captivated global audiences in ‘Game Of Thrones’. The series is a gripping saga that takes us deep into the extraordinary world of Westeros and explores the Targaryen family - the all-powerful dragon riders who are the seemingly invincible rulers of the seven kingdoms. Bitter rivalries, jealousy, lust, the quest for power, and betrayal will tear the Targaryens apart and threaten to destroy a dynasty that has ruled unchallenged for a century.

Graham McTavish, who plays Ser Harrold Westerling, the Commander of the King’s Guard, talked about how relevant the series is today. He said, although ‘House Of The Dragon’ is set in an ancient land, a world created by the vivid imagination of George RR Martin, it deals with relevant themes today.

“The themes are universal because anybody with a family can identify with the issues at play here – jealousy, rivalry, jockeying for position, inheritance, all of that stuff that has always gone on and still does. This just happens to be played out on a large scale to the backdrop of this extraordinary world. And it’s also about politics, and people can identify with that, too,” Graham McTavish explained.

Even though the series is a prequel to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon has an entirely new story with new characters played by an impressive cast. Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel, and Rhys Ifans bring life to several characters from Martin's book.

Directed by Miguel Sapochnik, Clare Kilner, Geeta Vasant Patel and Greg Yaitanes, the series has been executive produced by George RR Martin, Ryan Condal, and Miguel Sapochnik, along with Sara Hess, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis and Ron Schmidt.