Who is Tom Taylor and who does he play in ‘House of the Dragon’ season 2?

Tom Taylor is one of the handful of new actors who have joined the House of the Dragon cast for season 2 to partake in the events of the Dance of Dragons, the clash between Greens and Blacks.

But 22-year-old Taylor is not playing a Targaryen, he will not be donning a silver-white-haired wig. Unlike the ones hailing from either of the two sides, his character does not have a dog in this fight — or a dire wolf, rather.

That’s right. The actor from South East England may not be playing a member of House Targaryen but he’s portraying a character from the other equally famous and beloved — if not more — House of Westeros: House Stark.

The young wolf of the North

Taylor, who despite his young age has been acting on TV for nearly a decade now, does not play just any Stark. He’s Cregan Stark, the current lord of Winterfell, a remarkable position to hold when one is still so young, around Jacaerys Velaryon’s age. Hence why Rhaenyra sent her eldest son to parlay with the northern Lord in the last episode of season 1, due to their approximate ages and the fact that that would likely help them find common ground.

If the dubious reports present in George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood are to be trusted, Jacaerys and Cregan have a way better encounter than Lucerys and Borros Baratheon — which, admittedly, isn’t that difficult. With it being left open-ended in season 1, episode 10, the meeting between the characters embodied by Taylor and Harry Collett is one of the non-violent character interactions that I’m looking forward to seeing pan out in the upcoming season. Surely, I’m not the only one, as Cregan Stark is a very well-loved character from the book, and people — as this Reddit thread exemplifies (beware of spoilers) — have no shortage of reasons why they like Cregan so much.

While having an admirable career for one so young, this will likely be the role that will catapult Tom Taylor to a place of instant worldwide recognition among a massive fanbase. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a young actor building a career brick by brick.

Along with the report that Taylor is confirmed as Cregan Stark, additional names who have joined the cast for season 2 include Clinton Liberty, Jamie Kenna, Kieran Bew, Tom Bennett, and Vincent Regan.