Ser Harwin Strong‘s time on House of the Dragon came to an end on Sunday’s episode, with his character meeting a fiery end. In an interview with Insider, Ryan Corr said he knew there would only be a limited time for fans to get to know Harwin and his relationship with Princess Rhaenyra.
Ryan Corr said that:
“We always knew Harwin had a limited time in the series. I spoke with Ryan and Miguel at the start about trying to create maximum impact. I remember Ryan speaking to me about the Red Viper, Pedro Pascal’s character in the first series and how he was only there for a limited time, but his resonance through the series lasted.”
Harwin is first introduced in episode three, during a hunt at Kingswood. Rhaenyra kills a wild boar and returns to camp covered in blood. Harwin is the only one who visibly admires her. By episode six, it is revealed that Harwin is Rhaenyra’s primary lover and the father of her three children, which occurs more than 10 years later in the show’s timeline.
Corr said that he was amazed at how the viewers reacted to Harwin looking at Rhaenyra
The actor later added that:
“You hear about the legions of fans and just how loved this show is and how much of an expert everyone is on the Westeros universe and the ‘Game of Thrones’ universe. But you don’t quite realize the scale of that until you’re involved with it. Then the audience, who seem to be experts on these characters more than we are, can join the dots and fill the gaps correctly. You really just want to pay homage to George’s work and to people’s idea of the characters in their head.”
In episode three, Corr briefly shows Harwin’s interest in Princess Rhaenyra, which happens before a non-book reader would know that he is the future father of her children. Corr continued:
“I think when doing the character you can only hold onto the details you receive in the book. With Harwin and Rhaenyra’s story in ‘Fire and Blood,’ there’s pockets of information, but a lot is open to interpretation. You’re trying to fill those moments with as much detail so that people can ‘ship’ those guys. And at least in their own mind, in their own imaginations, they can imagine how that relationship developed, why it developed and why these two are twin flames.”
What do you think about this idea of depicting love spiritually? Let us know in the comments below.
Read more: 12 details you might have missed in House of The Dragon Episode 6
