House of the Dragon will likely be landing on August 21 and there may be a palpable sense of pleasure constructing, together with curiosity about whether the HBO fantasy drama can live as much as its predecessor.
The show is ready 200 years before Game of Thrones with the Seven Kingdoms very much under the rule of the Targaryen dynasty with the family at the peak of their powers and a plentiful supply of dragons to maintain unruly dissenters in check.
Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik and author Ryan Condal function co-showrunners on House of the Dragon and will likely be serving up a latest tale from Westerns, specializing in the contentious line of succession.
The show encompasses a star-studded solid including Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, and Eve Best.
McTavish, who plays the honourable knight of the Kingsguard Ser Harrold Westerling, opened up about starring in the brand new show and the way it in comparison with parent series Game of Thrones.
He admitted there was some pressure working on House of the Dragon, saying: “Well, the show is one of the crucial anticipated of the 12 months really. I don’t think I could be exaggerating to say that and that brings with it somewhat of a sense of responsibility.
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“You’ve got that feeling whenever you’re making those kind of shows. It was the identical once I did The Hobbit and to some extent even with Outlander that the expectation from the readers and the fans and all the remaining of it.
“Me, as a fan as well. I’m a fan of Game of Thrones. I saw all the previous seasons of the unique.”
Nonetheless, the actor, 61, said he took a practical approach when he was making the show, saying he had to have a look at it in a “barely detached way” so he wouldn’t be “swamped by that feeling of expectation and anticipation”.
He went on to say: “It’s essential to make it your individual, it’s essential make the characters your individual.
“All of us, the writers, the administrators, one among the co-showrunners was one among the largest directors on the primary series of Game of Thrones, and yet he got here fresh to this and I believe that’s really vital.”
In keeping with McTavish, House of the Dragon was an examination of “human frailty” and “morality” in addition to domestic life.
He said: “It’s a really domestic show centred across the castle and that’s different from the world that was established in Game of Thrones. That was scatted everywhere in the kingdom. This is targeted very much on the world inside, the inner circle and what’s happening.
“We live during a time of peace at the start of the show. Harrold Westerling is one among the few individuals who’s seen war and he’s served the previous king as well. But that peace is threatened not from without but from inside, that’s where the danger lies.”
Reflecting on Ser Harrold, the actor said the knight had a “opinions” in regards to the various members of the Small Council, who advised the king but was sensible enough to maintain his thoughts to himself.
He also said the knight doted on Princess Rhaenyra (played by Emma D’Arcy) and had much love and loyalty to King Viserys (Considine), whom he described as being surrounded in a “nest of vipers”.
McTavish isn’t any stranger to fans with roles in Outlander, The Witcher and Lucifer, amongst other shows.
The star is filming on season three of The Witcher playing the villainous spy Sigismund Dijkstra, who was working to pay money for Ciri of Cintra (Freya Allan) in the hunt to make Redania essentially the most powerful kingdom on the continent.
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Having worked across so many fantasy movies and TV shows, McTavish said the unifying theme between the productions was the humour of the teams which prevented them from becoming “somewhat too reverent” and “precious”.
Together with The Witcher, McTavish can even be switching his sword for a stetson within the forthcoming movie Somewhere in Montana, where he plays a cowboy.
In keeping with IMDb, he can even be starring in Chasing Nightmares which is in post-production and Perfidious which is pre-production.
Fans can even expect to see more of McTavish’s hijinks together with his Outlander co-star Sam Heughan with the pair starring in Men in Kilts season two and travelling across Latest Zealand to find its Scottish influences.
House of the Dragon will air on HBO and Sky Atlantic on August 21 and will likely be streaming on NOW from August 22 with the Entertainment Membership
