House Of The Dragon actors Luke and Elliott Tittensor, who play identical twins Arryk and Erryk Cargyll respectively, swapped places in the show’s season one finale.
In the HBO series, Arryk sides with Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) in his claim to the throne, while Erryk sides with Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy). During the finale, the latter steals the crown of the late King Viserys (Paddy Considine) and hands it to Rhaenyra at Dragonstone, while pledging his allegiance to her.
Speaking on Entertainment Weekly’s West of Westeros podcast, director Greg Yaitanes revealed that Luke Tittensor, who plays Arryk, stepped into the role of Erryk after his brother Elliott tested positive for COVID-19.
“There’s that scene, that big scene where Corlys (Steve Toussaint) comes down and they’re putting the markers on the table and the messenger comes in,” Yaitanes said. “It was shot over two days and then one got COVID. [Elliott] got COVID, so we swapped him out with his brother.”
The director said “that would’ve killed us” if Luke was unable to step in, adding: “We were just about to do all Emma’s coverage and he is standing right next to [them].”
HBO recently confirmed the second season of House Of The Dragon is set to be released “sometime” in 2024.
“We’re just starting to put the plan together, and just like last time, there are so many unknowns,” HBO chief content officer, Casey Bloys, told Vulture. “It’s not to be coy or secretive, but you don’t want to say it’s going to be ready on this date, and then you have to move it.”
House Of The Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s fictional history book Fire & Blood, which charts the history of House Targaryen.
The fantasy author recently confirmed he’s “about three-quarters of the way done” on the next installment in the A Song Of Ice And Fire series, The Winds Of Winter.