Warning: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon episode one
House of the Dragon’s premiere was a hit, but among fans, there was a single moment that stood out above all others due to the tragic storytelling and graphic visuals and now one of the show’s stars has opened up about the filming process.
Of course, this article will contain spoilers for the first episode of House of the Dragon so if you haven’t already make sure you go check it out before continuing.
During the climax of the episode King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) is forced to choose between saving his wife Aemma (Sian Brooke) after complications while giving birth or saving his unborn son, the heir to his role of king.
Viserys chooses to save his son forcing nurses to perform a caesarian section on his wife killing her due to blood loss. Considine sat down with Collider to speak about this scene and the incredible work from Brooke when filming.
“It was a lot of work for Sian [Brooke], who played Aemma. She had the biggest job that day, of making that work, because it was physical and long. There were a lot of technical things we were dealing with, with pipes pumping blood. You can’t just do a half-performance, when doing that kind of thing. I think she lost her voice, by the end of the day, but it was just the more incredible for how she committed to it.
“It wasn’t very difficult for me to react the way I did, in that situation. We met before shooting, and we had this fast track into the relationship. It’s rare to connect that quickly with the material and with the person you’re acting with, and we had to make that relationship really convincing, in the short space of time we were together, but I think we did. It was massive.
“That moment is the most pivotal moment in Viserys’ life. That has implications that carry on and vibrate through the rest of the show, so that had to be believable, and Sian really delivered that one.”
Following the premiere, many fans pointed to this scene as the most gruesome in the history of the Game of Thrones franchise. Later, House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan J. Condal addressed its addition saying it was important to explore the nature of maternal mortality expanding on what is said in the show’s source material Fire & Blood.
This scene definitely set the stage for other tragic things to come as House of the Dragon continues. You can check out the premiere on HBO Max right now and new episodes will arrive each Sunday.
