INTERVIEW

Things are heating up in the highly anticipated season two of HBO's House of the Dragon and for the young actor, 20-year-old Harry Collet, who plays Jacaerys Targaryen in the show. After several scrapped spin-offs to one of the biggest shows of all time, Game of Thrones, HBO finally landed on House of the Dragon, a prequel about the Targaryen's battle in the succession of the throne- plus some dragons. It proved a massive success, with over 4 million UK viewers tuning in for the launch of season one alone, placing it amongst the show giants of Stranger Things and The Boys. Season two sees Rhaenyra Targaryen's eldest son, Jacaerys Targaryen, played by Harry Collett, taking a much bigger focus in the war brewing as he goes to Winterfell, one of the most iconic locations for GoT fans, to find support for his mother's claim to the throne in the fight against her stepbrother, now King, Aegon II Targaryen and his mother, her ex-best friend Alicent Hightower. A battle between the family that has captivated audiences and, finally, their two-year-long pleads for the next instalment is over, with season two dropping weekly over the summer.  

Harry has had a taste of admiration from fans for the show. We sit down after the cast and himself have just completed their whirlwind press tour for the show in Paris, New York and London- in addition to his cover shoot that he just spent the morning in snakeskin and rhinestone looks, all fit for a prince. I ask how this tour has been for him. "Amazing. I mean, to do the show anyway, feels like a dream come true." Harry continues, "It's quite nerve-racking because now's the time to really know yourself and the show rather than being stuck in a studio, playing a prince, which, don't get me wrong, is great! It's been great seeing what kind of impact this show has on people around the world." He calls the experience "crazy in the best way possible. It's just mental," and expresses appreciation for overwhelming support he's received from the fans and the writers. 

GoT is known for having such a dedicated fanbase, and HotD's matched it almost instantly. With season two, it's only gotten more prominent for the cast and Harry himself, as people online hyperfixate on the TV shows that are currently airing, making memes, fan edits, and sometimes finding their 'actor of the month'. Since season one was released, Harry says the craziest thing he's experienced so far is people asking him on the street about his hair for season two and people wearing T-shirts with his face on. "For me, that's a bit like, I'm just a kid from Essex and people wearing my face on their body…I mean, it's flattering."   

Before the unofficial Harry Collett merch, at six years old, his acting journey began. He didn't have the best time at primary school, so instead, he focused on things he enjoyed, like street dance. He would finish his school day and go to the studio owned by British dance group Diversity to practice his moves. Whilst performing in a show with the studio at a shopping centre in Essex, an agent in the crowd approached his parents after spotting Harry. Asking his mum and dad if he'd be interested in acting, they weren't so sure if Harry would want to, but as an audition came in, "mum and dad said, might as well go see if you like it."  

That audition was for Billy Elliot the Musical. "Before I did it, I went to walk out because I wasn't feeling it." His dad told him to just try it and then "they called my name just when I was about to walk out the door.". That audition bagged him the role on stage in London's West End, starting his professional acting career. He remembers his time in Billy Elliot being fun: "I basically came on for like, two minutes each night, I'd come on right at the start and then come up at the end, say a couple of swear words. At six years old, I loved it".  Collett went on to star in a couple more theatre shows: Matilda the Musical and Elf. However, being a child actor came with compromises: "I missed out on a lot of childhood friends, parties and things like that because you're dedicating pretty much your life to it". On the topic of him returning to theatre, it's about when and not if. "Not right now. I think I want to focus on film and TV now. I would love to do a play. I've never done one before. But theatre, I would leave that for later". 

Chatting a few days before season two's release, Harry reflects on his time as Jace Targaryen so far. I was curious about the most challenging part of filming this epic show. Harry says it's speaking like a prince: "I had lines last season, but I have much more screentime this season. I have amazing dialect coaches. I'm from Essex, so it's about pronouncing your H's and your T's, but I got used to it quite quickly, obviously, with all the help. And also, sometimes the long hours can be a bit draining, but you can't complain about that with my job because so many people wish they could do it and you're so lucky and it's just fun, isn't it? I ride dragons!" 

Jace is sporting a new look this season. To confirm for those asking, Jace's hair is Harry's real curls. In the break between season one and filming for season two, per request by the show, he grew his hair really long, "I looked like I was old school [2015] Harry Styles vibe with the hair". However, when the team got together at the beginning of season two, his Harry Styles dreams were crushed: "I got there, and they were like, 'We've got a mood board to go by'. It was like just pictures of Jon Snow and Rob Stark and all that which was really cool". Then they cut his hair accordingly. "And snip snip. Bosh. Here we are, new Jace has arrived."  

"The new costumes, sets and hair made me transform as Jace. In season two, we see him going from a boy to a man, and the change has helped me change Jace in a way that suits people."  

As the war between Team Black and Team Green intensifies, some characters, including Jace, set off around Westeros this season. The cast filmed their scenes separately, with Harry rarely seeing those on the opposing team like Olivia Cooke, Ewan Mitchell and Tom Glynn-Carney unless it was outside of filming.