Fanspot
Vale of Arryn
“Have you at last come to consummate our marriage? The Vale’s sheep might be willing, even if I am not.”
Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford)
The producers of House of the Dragon did not want to use the same locations that the Game of Thrones showrunners used to recreate the Vale of Arryn. This time, it’s England that HBO has used, instead of Northern Ireland, to film the fateful reunion of Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and his wife Rhea Royce (Rachel Redford).
In the hinterland
The entire production took place in the vicinity of the small village of Castleton in the county of Derbyshire. Situated 228 km from London, this town was visited by the actors who filmed several days of short sequences.
The dragon’s language
Matt Smith, as interpreter for a prominent member of the Targaryen family, was required to learn High Valyrian, the Targaryen language. A learning process on which he returned for the site GQ: “It’s a sort of collaboration between Latin and Arabic, in a strange way. And I thought, when I read so many of those scenes, “Oh God, this is gonna be a pain.” But I really enjoyed those scenes. I found there was something really revealing about Daemon. To me in those scenes, I could access this other, exotic part of his personality where it almost felt more natural to him, on some level.”
The House of the Dragon series will feature a total of 17 dragons, whereas Game of Thrones contained only three.
Castleton
A town of less than 700 inhabitants, Castleton is located 228 km from London, in the English countryside.
A popular outback tourist town, Castleton is famous for its caves, including Blue John Cavern, Peak Cavern, Treak Cliff Tavern and Speedwell Cavern. Attractions are also offered to visitors all year round and hiking opportunities abound. Peaceful and picturesque, Castleton was also exploited as part of the filming of the HBO series House of the Dragon.
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By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.