Was George R.R. Martin’s Face Incorporated Into House Of The Dragon Season 2, Episode 7? Find Out
George R.R. Martin, who is the originator of the show's source material, made a subtle cameo in the latest episode, which was part of showrunner Ryan Condal's tribute!
Yes! George RR Martin, the originator and mastermind behind the world of House of the Dragon, made a ‘blink and you miss it’ cameo in the penultimate episode of season 2. The Red Sowing episode, which focused on the Dragonseeds claiming their dragons, incorporated the author’s face in a surprising manner!
A behind-the-scenes video from Game of Thrones revealed that the face carved in Harrenhal's weirwood tree was modeled after Martin's face. Production designer Jim Clay revealed that this specification was made upon showrunner Ryan Condal’s wish to pay homage to Martin.
"Ryan [Condal] wanted to do [it] as a bit of a tribute, and the idea was that it gradually started to disappear back into the bark of the tree," he said. "The brief was to make it feel enough like him, but you were never really sure."
This was a well-deserved tribute, considering it was Martin who created the world of Song of Ice and Fire and Fire & Blood, which acts as the source material for House of the Dragon. Moreover, he is also an executive producer of the prequel series.
Weirwood trees have been present in the world of Westeros for centuries and were featured in many locations in Game of Thrones and House Of The Dragons, including Harrenhaal, Winterfell, King’s Landing, and Beyond the Wall.
The trees connected to the old gods of Westeros are believed to be carved by children of the forest. Only a few trees were left after the Andals cut them down to enforce a new religion, the Faith of the Seven or the New Gods, which became a common religious practice of that era.
In the behind-the-scenes video, Condal discusses how Harrenhaal’s weirwood tree is falling into disarray in comparison to that of the Red Keep. He also revealed that the castle was built using felled weirwood trees as lumber, which is connected to the strange hallucinations that Daemon experiences there.
Given that the trees have such a huge yet implicit role in the history of Westeros, having a face George R.R. Martin-inspired face mold inside the tree couldn’t be more fitting! House of The Dragon is currently streaming on Jio Cinema.