“He’s his own strange guy, I think.
He’s on his own path.”
Warning: This article contains spoilers forHouse of the Dragonepisode 7.
Matthew Needham discusses the Littlefinger and Varys parallels to Larys on ‘House of the Dragon’.Baelish Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO ; Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO; Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO
It’s no coincidence that Larys fromHouse of the Dragonsounds like the shipper name for Littlefinger and Varys.
He’s also like Varys in that he knows everything about everyone.
(That’s why his clubfoot is so big it’s full of secrets.)
Matthew Needham as Larys Strong in ‘House of the Dragon’.Ollie Upton / HBO
But Neeham adds that his role is more than just an amalgam.
“I don’t think either of those guys burnt their family alive.
I’m sure they did other horrible things, but he’s his own strange guy, I think.
He’s on his own path.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What did you know about this character to start with?
I didn’t know anything at all.
I hadn’t read the books.
So no, I knew nothing going in, which I think is quite helpful, really.
So you could bring your own impressions to the character.Yeah, I think so.
There’s lots of suggestions in there.
We had the luxury to find it and let it come organically.
It was really exciting, really collaborative, and really enjoyable.
Sometimes it’s a bit back foot and sometimes it’s enjoyable, relaxed.
When we were doing it, it was like, “That feels crunchy.”
But we tried a number of ways, so it’s interesting to see what they end up using.
I spoke with Ryanand found his big takeaway from reading about this character inFire and Bloodinteresting.
He said, “I always knew Larys was a schemer.”
If you start explaining away things, it suddenly becomes less interesting.
I don’t know if he’s fully in focus yet.
I think he’s got a direction.
That’d be awful.
No, I think he’s got something he’s trying to achieve.
I think he knows where he wants to go.
So he’s prepared.
I mean, it’s brutal.
This guy’s a dark animal.
It’s a terrifying act of will that he’s able to do.
I don’t think he’s mad.
She gets to say, “I didn’t want this,” and I know she did.
So that’s what I thought I was going for in those scenes.
It’s this, “We’re both on the same side here.”
But I obviously just look mad.
Maybe I’m just mad, I don’t know.
Steve Toussaint told me that he auditioned forHouse of the Dragonwith Tywin Lannister dialogue.
And then Olivia Cooke said she auditioned with Cersei Lannister dialogue.
And Milly Alcock said she used Arya Stark dialogue.How interesting.
It was two scenes we have now filmed and done.
That’s so funny.
It’s like when people audition for James Bond.
Don’t they always do a scene fromDr.
It’s a bit like that, isn’t it?
But I never had that.
When I say the name Larys fast, I sometimes accidentally call him Varys.
Martin is an extraordinarily intelligent man.
I don’t think he would make a mistake like that.
That’s a very purposeful thing, so ignore it at your peril.
But they share a sort of murky underworld of the mind.
[Varys actor] Conleth Hill is actually one of the reasons I’m an actor.
I saw him in loads of plays growing up and just thought he was absolutely magic.
So I owe Conleth Hill a lot, actually.
It’s easy to call out the Varys parallel, or even the Littlefinger parallel.
But, of course, the “chaos is a ladder” way of life is something they share.
Those are wonderful actors and performances, but I didn’t go and study them.
I just felt like it’s its own beast.
And it’s different writers.
It might be in the same world, but it felt like a different show.
I don’t think either of those guys burnt their family alive.
I’m sure they did other horrible things, but he’s his own strange guy, I think.
He’s on his own path.
In episode 7 you have that great moment with Alicent on the ship.
It was very telling that Larys was like, “Do you want an eye?
I’ll go fetch you an eye.”
Man, woman, or even child, he does not care.
He’s gonna do it.
You’d have to ask the powers that be.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
