‘House of the Dragon’: Vaemond Actor Calls Legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s Sons ‘the Pink Elephant in the Corner’
TL;DR:
- Vaemond Velaryon challenges the legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s sons in House of the Dragon.
- Actor Wil Johnson says Jace and Luke’s parentage is “the pink elephant in the corner.”
- Johnson’s character likely won’t be the last to use this talking point as the war begins.
House of the Dragon is building to another confrontation for the Iron Throne, but episode 8 sees the members of King Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) court feuding over a different seat: the Driftmark Throne. Although Princess Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) second son, Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), is meant to inherit it, questions about his legitimacy lead Vaemond Velaryon to challenge his claim. According to Vaemond actor Wil Johnson, everyone in House of the Dragon knows Rhaenyra’s sons aren’t Velaryon. However, his character is willing to bring the issue to the surface.
[Warning: Spoilers ahead for House of the Dragon Episode 8, “The Lord of the Tides.”]
Vaemond Velaryon challenges Jace and Luke’s legitimacy in ‘House of the Dragon’ Episode 8
When Wil Johnson says that Vaemond is willing to raise the issue of Lucerys’ and Jacaerys’ (Harry Collett) legitimacy, he’s not kidding. As the various factions of Viserys’ court offer petitions for the Driftmark Throne, Vaemond flat-out accuses Rhaenyra’s children of being bastards. He screams it at the top of his lungs, then insults the Targaryen princess as well.
The situation gets so tense that King Viserys demands Vaemond’s tongue. However, Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) kills the Sea Snake’s brother before he receives his punishment.
As such, it seems Vaemond won’t pose any further threats to Lucerys’ succession. But according to Johnson, his character isn’t the only one who realizes the truth; he’s just the one person willing to address the “elephant” in the room.
Vaemond actor Wil Johnson says Rhaenyra’s sons are the ‘elephant’ in the room
During HBO’s Inside the Episode for House of the Dragon Episode 8, Vaemond Velaryon actor Wil Johnson discussed his character’s final moments. He noted that Vaemond goes out telling “the absolute truth,” even if he’s aware that nothing will be done.
“He knows that those children are not Velaryon,” Johnson said. “They’re white, they’ve got brown hair, very obvious. And everyone knows it. It’s the pink elephant in the corner that nobody wants to talk about, but Vaemond is the one person who will talk about it and will speak out about it.”
Sadly, that doesn’t end well for Vaemond — but his point may come up again in the wake of King Viserys’ death. As Johnson says, his character isn’t the only one aware of Luke and Jace’s parentage. And the Hightowers will no doubt use that knowledge when they attempt to seize the throne for themselves.
This won’t be the last time the subject comes up in ‘House of the Dragon’
Even if we’ve seen the last of Vaemond Velaryon, House of the Dragon likely isn’t done addressing his “pink elephant in the corner.”
We know from House of the Dragon Episode 7 that Alicent’s (Olivia Cooke) sons are well aware of the whispers about their nephews’ parentage. Likewise, the adults in their lives know that Laenor Velaryon (John Macmillan) didn’t father Rhaenyra’s children. They may use that as ammunition in their fight for the Iron Throne.
Until now, King Viserys has been the one keeping questions about Luke and Jace’s legitimacy at bay. Without him there, things could get messy rather quickly. We should expect more challenges to their claim — and Rhaenyra’s — in the coming episodes. That’s especially true now that Alicent believes Viserys wanted their son on the throne instead of Rhaenyra.
New episodes of House of the Dragon air every Sunday on HBO.
