Spoiler Alert: Spoilers for House of the Dragon Episode 7 AheadHouse of the Dragon features many elements that made Game of Thrones so successful for it, including a character who seems to know everything about everyone. Larys Strong, played by Matthew Needham, was the source of a lot of chaos during the first seven episodes of House of the Dragon. His character is responsible for the murder of his own father and brother, which causes him to ascend to Lord of Harrenhal while joining Olivia Cooke’s Alicent Hightower character.
Larys Strong has been scheming constantly since his character was first introduced; however, we, the public, are not aware of its end goal. During an interview with Weekly entertainmentMatthew Needham discusses his character’s motivations while hinting that he does in fact have a master plan.
“I think he has a plan. I think he has a direction. I think you can’t just be puzzling for the sake of the riddle, just hang out smoking and have nowhere to go. That would be awful. No, I think that he has something he is trying to achieve they have created this incredible character this man who acts on the world and makes things happen even though he looks like he can’t hurt a fly i think he knows where he wants to go i think he has plans, and he’s had, well, his whole life coming up with them. So he’s prepared.”
Of course, fans may have to wait until the final second season or longer to see what Larys Strong is up to, as the character is clearly playing a long game to gain power.
Matthew Needham recognizes Littlefinger and Varys’ equations
Petyr Baelish, known as Littlefinger, was an ever-present mysterious character everywhere Game of Thrones. Varys, the master of whispers, resembled Baelish in that they were both known for their sheer number of spies in Westeros and the lands beyond. Matthew Needham recognizes the similarities between his characters and those in the first series and sees how Larys could be a mashup between Littlefinger and Varys.
“That’s not an accident, is it?” Needham tells EW about the similarities. “George RR Martin is an extremely intelligent man. I don’t think he would make such a mistake. That is very purposeful, so ignore it at your own risk,” he explains. “I think it’s a mix of Varys and Littlefinger, but I also think they’re three remarkably different people.” Needham continues, “But they share a kind of dark underworld of the mind. [Varys actor] Conleth Hill is actually one of the reasons I’m an actor. I saw him grow up in numerous plays and thought he was absolutely magical. So I actually owe Conleth Hill a lot.”
Littlefinger and Varys had very interesting yet very different character arcs during their time on Game of Thrones. Fans are hoping for something similar with Larys Strong, which we’ll likely see in the coming seasons of House of the Dragon. Fans can tune in to the new spin-off series, which premieres every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max