‘House of the Dragon’: Will Alyn Ride a Dragon? Abubakar Salim Weighs In
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 7, “The Red Sowing.”]
Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) doesn’t want to be a dragonrider, but will fate force his hand? House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 7, the penultimate episode of the season, showed the Hull brothers protecting each other from afar by playing their part in the civil war between the blacks and the greens. Fate has brought these brothers into the conflict, and their focus is for each of them to make it out alive. But unlike his brother, Addam (Clinton Liberty), Alyn isn’t as invested in Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) fight to reclaim her throne. Still, the captain of father Corlys’ (Steve Toussaint) fleet may have no choice but sail into battle in next week’s House of the Dragon Season 2 finale.
A battle seems imminent in the finale, airing Sunday, August 4 on HBO. In the finale trailer, Corlys and Alyn are seen in rowboats and clad in full battle armor. The naval fleet is also seen crossing a sea as forces gather on land. Corlys and Alyn could rein over the tides while Addam soars above on Seasmoke for Rhaenyra’s cause — a cause Alyn supported in Episode 7 by getting the dragonseeds to Dragonstone.
Alyn swore to his father that he is “of salt and sea,” with no interest in being a dragonrider even if a dragon may accept him like his brother. Here, Salim breaks down this declaration, Alyn’s relationship with his brother and father (and his brief encounter with Eve Best‘s Rhaenys), and previews what’s to come in next week’s finale with TV Insider.
The episode starts off with Addam facing Rhaenyra with Seasmoke. Alyn has no interest in riding a dragon, or so he says.
Abubakar Salim: I genuinely think he doesn’t. I think 15-year-old Alyn probably would, but I don’t think the shoes that I’m in cares much for it. He sees the danger of it. He sees the reality and the silliness of it, whereas he’s just of salt and sea, and that’s where he is the most comfortable. That’s where he is. I’ve read the book, and I know exactly what happens there, but I don’t know, there’s just something that just makes sense of him not caring for it.
Do you think that Alyn’s resistance and disinterest in his potential to ride a dragon is informed by the fact that it connects him to Corlys more?
I think it’s a mixture of things, because I will always be connected to Corlys. Be it from the hair, be it for working under him, there is always that connection. What the dragons symbolize to Alyn is this idea of status, which is given because of the fact that you now ride a dragon. Alyn is not about that. Alyn’s all about working and proving yourself. Now you’re going to treat me differently and give me different foods because I’m riding a nuclear missile? That doesn’t make any sense to him.
You earn what you get, and that’s the mentality that Alyn carries. However, getting the dragonseeds through and going deeper into it all is purely driven by the fact that he wants to be closer to his brother. He cares for his brother. His brother’s the only person he’s got, and that is his anchor that he doesn’t want to be threatened. He wants to prove himself. He has yet to make a man of himself because there was no one else really to help him do that. So he’s always had to build from the bottom.
Ollie Upton / HBO
I feel like he’s similar to Viserys in this way. Hear me out on this. Viserys didn’t want to be king, it was placed upon him. He’s presented with this seat that he can have. I see a parallel here with the two brothers, one not wanting power and the other wanting something grander for their life. One brother wants it, the other doesn’t. Do you agree with that parallel?
Absolutely. That’s so astute. That is so true. There is this sense of he doesn’t want it, and that’s probably why he’d be the perfect fit for it, because the decisions come from a place, not from ego, but of rationality. This is why I’m really fascinated by the choice of aging these characters up [Alyn and Addam are teenagers in Fire & Blood], because again young Alyn would have wanted this. He would’ve wanted just the approval and the love from his father. He would’ve wanted the status. Every young kid wants to feel special. You want to feel like the main character, but because of life and the trials and the tribulations, the ups and downs that are thrown at you, there is a reality check.
Addam is still hopeful, still a dreamer, whereas Alyn is very much like, no, this is my life, this is who I am, and I will continue to do this until I die. And he’s all right with that. Even though I still feel like there is a deep pain within him for it all, there is this sense of this is just who I am. And I think you’re right. When offered the chance to be something or be special, he just doesn’t want it.
Which feels like a foreshadowing. He doesn’t want this, which means he’s probably going to get it. It’s just a rule of TV.
[Laughs] Doesn’t want it. Yeah, literally.
The finale’s next week. Could Alyn be forced by circumstances to become a dragonrider?
No. Maybe. I can’t tell you. You just have to watch it [laughs]. With the finale, you definitely see an Alyn who has changed. Every episode that I’ve been in, in the scenes, there’s always been a pick at me. There’s been a chip. It comes to a crack in Episode 8, which I’m really excited to share. It’s one of my favorite scenes actually, of the series. The brilliance of what these writers are able to do in regards to weaving these stories, these very detailed and intricate characters and stories, and still make them feel like there’s a journey — there’s a definite journey shift with Alyn near the end.
Alyn doesn’t get on the boats taking the dragonseeds to Dragonstone even though his brother is there. Why?
I don’t get on the boats because the destination in which they’re going to, it’s a terrifying one.
I don’t know how much I believe Corlys saying that his lineage can’t be dragonriders. Why does Corlys think that they can’t be dragonriders because of him?
This is probably just a theory — it’s probably because he’s just known the sea life for all his life. And it’s probably the idea of these dragons are regarded as gods and only Targaryens can ride them. I think that’s really where it comes from. But ultimately, I really don’t know because in my eyes, [the Velaryons] were riding dragons too.
Ollie Upton / HBO
What do you know about their mother? Is she actually Targaryen?
She isn’t really mentioned in this series [she is named in the Fire & Blood book], but from what I recall, she was just a very beautiful lady. That’s where she is. That’s why I think the dragon riding comes from him.
Maybe Corlys isn’t correct, and maybe they wrote that to possibly set up Corlys riding a dragon one day, which I think would be so cool. I love the Velaryons.
They’re such a fascinating family. In the book, they’re present, but they’re kind of like the sidekicks. Whereas in the show, there’s a real beauty and tragedy to that family, to that house. It’s really cool to witness and watch.
How has Alyn been impacted by his interaction with Rhaenys just before she died?
That scene was brilliant. It really showed the fear and the reality of being a bastard is a threat. Not knowing how it was going to play out and the way it panned out there, I think Alyn would feel very, very lucky and in a good space. I don’t know the conversation that happened after my leaving, obviously as a character, but that openness and the acceptingness of her when she says to Corlys, essentially, “Hey man, these guys are here.” It’s really beautiful to see. Her death, at the time for Alyn, probably doesn’t really register. It’s kind of like, OK, it is what it is. But I think after time, the conversation will resonate more.
Is Alyn supportive of his brother being a dragonrider? Is he excited for him? Is he scared? What’s the feeling?
I think he’s pissed [laughs]. I don’t think he’s happy, because I’ve warned my brother, “Hey, this is a war, man. This is not cool. This is something you don’t want to jump into.” And the threat of that is frightening because again, he’s all that I have. So the idea of him getting involved in this is not part of the plan. He’s the guy I go back home to, provide for, take care of. I love my brother to bits, so him now being a dragonrider is, especially after the fact that we’ve just lost a dragonrider, it’s really frightening. That’s where Alyn is, and probably why he throws himself so much more into [the war]. It makes him closer to his brother.
He’s already part of the military since he’s Corlys’ captain, but now that his brother has more of a stake in this, is Alyn more inspired to go to war to defend Addam?
Yes, his loyalty lies to his brother. He doesn’t really care for the politics of it all. It’s a family squabble in his eyes, and it’s just pettiness, stupid, and the people below are the ones who suffer. But now his brother is there, it’s like, no, I have to do something about this.
What can you say about whether you’ll be in Season 3?
I have no idea what’s going to happen [laughs]. It’s so funny, right? There’s a shot in the announcement trailer, when Season 2 was coming soon, of me in armor sailing or on a boat. The amount of people who’ve asked me like, “Buddy, when do you get to wear that armor? Because you look like a tank!” That’s the thing. I’m like, oh, OK, wonder when that happens! We’ll see. [Alyn is seen in that armor in the trailer for the Season 2 finale.]
We shall see! It’s funny too, because we’ve never seen Corlys sail the seas. We’ve seen him on beaches, on a docked ship, but we’ve never actually seen him be the Sea Snake in that way. So I would be very interested to see if that happens next week.
Yeah, man.
House of the Dragon, Season 2 Finale, Sunday, August 4, 9/8c, HBO, Streaming on Max
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