Who Played Daenerys In House Of The Dragon (Was It Emilia Clarke?)

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 2's finale.

Summary Imogen Ruby Little played Daenerys in House of the Dragon, bringing the character back in a surprise cameo appearance.

Despite not showing her face, Little's portrayal of Daenerys gave fans a glimpse of the iconic character from the past.

Emilia Clarke did not return as Daenerys, having previously spoken of being "done" with the character.

Daenerys Targaryen returned to TV screens in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale, but it wasn't Emilia Clarke playing the Mother of Dragons. At Harrenhal, Daemon Targaryen had visions of Daenerys, a White Walker, the Three-Eyed Raven, and more, all of which served to convince him to bend the knee to Rhaenyra Targaryen. It was important for the prequel's story, but also worked to provide a clear connection to the larger franchise, setting up events that are over 150 years later in the timeline.

Daenerys, in particular, was a major surprise, marking her first on-screen appearance since Game of Thrones' ending in 2019, in which the character was killed by Jon Snow. The vision is of Dany during the Game of Thrones season 1 finale, shortly after she emerged from Khal Drogo's funeral pyre with three baby dragons. Back then, of course, it was Clarke in the role, but House of the Dragon season 2's ending brought in Imogen Ruby Little for the part.

Imogen Ruby Little Played Daenerys In House Of The Dragon's Season 2 Finale

Little Made A Cameo As The Mother Of Dragons

Imogen Ruby Little played Daenerys in House of the Dragon season 2, episode 8, as they confirmed on their Instagram account imogenrubyy. Little is not a household name, but has some previous acting credits. As per their page on Spotlight, credits include The Witcher season 3, as a Mage; Barbie, as Beach Barbie; and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny as a student. In their post caption, Little said:

"Watch your mouth, you’re speaking to the Mother Of Dragons now. My pleasure to join the cast of HOTD, step into an iconic role and an honour to bring such an influential character to life, even for a minute in time, I had a blast. Absolutely over the moon to have been given this opportunity!"

Little's face is not shown on screen, but their post does show their full appearance as Daenerys. It gives a much better look at the hair and makeup work that went into recreating Dany's season 1 appearance, showing the effort that goes into just a few seconds of screen time.

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Why Didn't Emilia Clarke Return As Daenerys For House Of The Dragon?

It's Unclear If Clarke Was Approached About Coming Back

With Little taking on the role of Daenerys, it raises the question of whether Emilia Clarke was approached about returning as the Mother of Dragons for House of the Dragon. EW asked the episode's director, Geeta Vasant Patel, if the moment was CGI, used a stand-in, or if Clarke was asked to return, to which she responded: "I don't know about some of those things, because they were above my pay grade."

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We obviously now know that Little was the actor, but presumably, Patel isn't aware of whether Clarke was asked to come back or not as part of House of the Dragon's cast. Given the brevity of the scene, and that it doesn't really necessitate seeing Dany's face, it may well have been easier (and more cost-effective) to have someone else take on the role.

Every Actor To Play Daenerys Targaryen Name Show Tamzin Merchant Game of Thrones (unaired pilot) Emilia Clarke Game of Thrones Imogen Ruby Little House of the Dragon

There'd also be no guarantees Clarke would want to reprise the part having moved on from it in the past five years. When asked by the BBC about a potential return for the Jon Snow spinoff (which is no longer moving forward), she has: "No, I think I'm done." Meanwhile, in 2023, she told Variety that she couldn't watch House of the Dragon, saying:

"It’s too weird. I’m so happy it’s happening. I’m over the moon about all the awards… I just can’t do it. It’s so weird. It’s so strange. It’s kind of like someone saying, ‘You want to go to this school reunion that’s not your year? Want to go to that school reunion?’ That’s how it feels. I’m avoiding it.”

That's an understandable viewpoint and, no matter what, Clarke's legacy as Daenerys Targaryen is secured. They were a crucial part of Game of Thrones' success, and now that lives on in House of the Dragon, even if she herself didn't return.

Source: Instagram/imogenrubyy