The highly acclaimed Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon surrounding the rise and fall of the Targaryen dynasty, has made waves with its great mix of action, drama, and fantasy, which appealed to a wide range of viewers. Further, adding an element of excitement alongside standout performances from Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy, the spin-off featured legendary stories about great houses from George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood.
Standing side by side with House Targaryen, House of the Dragon focused on another family, the Velaryons, helmed by the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon, and his wife, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. Turning them central to this story, House Velaryons is distinctly portrayed as a Black family. Although people assume this was done solely for the sake of inclusivity, this deliberate creative choice is actually more than just for a diverse cast.
House of the Dragon Showrunner Ryan Condal Addressed the Diverse Cast
Game of Thrones’ highly anticipated spin-off, House of the Dragon, centered around the Targaryens, simultaneously sheds light on the Velaryons, another powerful and influential family, in the show. However, fans noticed the fact that the spin-off series quite stunningly reimagined the Velaryons as a Black family.
This deliberate creative choice later sparked excitement and curiosity among fans as they assumed this was done just to portray diversity in the cast. But shockingly, House of the Dragon co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal informed The Wrap that there runs a deeper reason than just the notion of inclusivity behind an all-Black Velaryon family.
“I think it was not that simple. I think the reason that it’s been a successful choice, frankly – I mean, not everybody’s ever going to be happy – the reason it was successful is because it was thought out, it wasn’t just done perfunctorily or wasn’t just done to tick a box or to be seen as progressive or to be seen as somebody that’s covering all the bases or anything like that.”
“It’s 2022, it’s a different era than the shows used to be made in, we have an incredibly diverse audience that’s not only across America but in multiple countries that speak all sorts of different languages, that represent all the colors under the sun. And it was really important to see some of that reflected up on screen.”
“This is a fantasy world. I think if this was a historical fiction piece, it’d be a more nuanced discussion. But I think simply because of the fantasy world if we believe in dragons, and shapeshifters and direwolves, we can believe everybody in the story is not white.”
Ryan Condal revealed that when they were creating the show, they realized that, given the era when House of the Dragon will be released people will expect some diversity in the show. That’s why they thought to include a few Black cast in House of the Dragon. But then making the entire Velaryon family Black had a lot to do with George R.R. Martin’s novels.
Ryan Condal Catered to George R.R. Martin’s Creative Desires Surrounding Velaryons
Creating the Velaryons Black, undoubtedly allowed the show to explore themes like identity, power dynamics, and systemic racism within the world of Westeros, while simultaneously adding depth and nuance to the narrative. However, apart from the positive inclusivity in House of the Dragon, it was actually done to remain faithful to George R.R. Martin’s vision.
According to Ryan Condal, while they wanted diversity in the cast, they never imagined creating the entire Velaryon family Black. Apparently, it was George R.R. Martin who considered the Velaryons as the right house to make Black. Therefore, explaining the initial reason why they chose the particular house to be racially inclusive, Condal later revealed how the idea was actually rooted in something Martin said about the family years ago.
“Why we went to the Velaryons, in particular, was because that felt like the most fantastical race in the show, and it felt like these were people from a lost continent that we don’t really know that much about. We know they all silver hair, we know they have an affinity for dragons, some of them. And we know they are seen, as quoted in the books and in the show, as closer to gods than to men.”
“So what does that all look like? It always stuck with me, this article where George had talked about when he set out to write these books, considering making all of the Velaryons Black, and Black people with silver hair, that always really stuck with me as an image.”
“To me, I mean, I don’t even really think about it anymore. There are so many Valerians in the show, having the Velaryon family, having the Sea Snake’s family, look different than the Targaryens is actually really helpful in the casting and in differentiating people on screen and remembering who’s from what house and maybe making it even clearer that Rhaenyra has children of questionable parentage.”
Eventually, as the casting decision aligned with the show’s themes, George R. R. Martin’s original version, and fans’ desire for diversity, Ryan Condal mentioned making the Velaryons Black. Further, mentioning how the particular racial distinction helped people distinguish the silver-haired Targaryens from the Velaryons, Condal concluded the more nuanced reasoning behind this deliberate choice.
House of the Dragon is available on Max.
