‘House of the Dragon’ Actor Opens Up About Filming That Painful Underwater Death Scene

House of the Dragon returned with a shocking start to Season 3, bringing one of the biggest battles in the show’s history and another heartbreaking loss for Rhaenyra Targaryen. The premiere episode featured the long-awaited Battle of the Gullet, where her oldest son Jace Velaryon and his dragon Vermax were killed in a devastating turn of events.

Actor Harry Collett, who played Jace, opened up about filming the emotional scene in an interview with Variety. He explained that bringing the character’s final moments to life was one of the hardest performances he has ever done because of the physical challenges involved.

Jace’s death happens during a massive battle between Rhaenyra’s Blacks and the Greens, led by King Aegon II and Alicent Hightower. The conflict begins after Rhaenyra’s forces continue their blockade of King’s Landing, putting pressure on the enemy’s supplies and trade routes.

The Greens respond by joining forces with the Triarchy, a group of pirates led by Sharako Lohar. Their goal is to break the blockade and defeat House Velaryon’s navy. However, the battle quickly turns into chaos as ships are destroyed, dragons clash in the sky, and both sides suffer major losses.

Before the fight begins, Jace makes a risky choice. He orders guards to lock Rhaenyra inside her chambers because he believes protecting his mother is more important than joining the battle himself. However, his decision creates a painful outcome as he ends up taking part in the fight anyway.

During the Battle of the Gullet, Jace joins Baela Targaryen in the sky with their dragons. The situation becomes even more dangerous when Baela’s sister Rhaena arrives with the wild dragon Sheepstealer, which she struggles to control.

The chaos forces the dragons to separate, and Jace’s dragon Vermax is hit by a powerful weapon from the enemy ships. The impact sends both Jace and Vermax into the water. While Jace manages to escape from his dragon, he does not survive for long. He is hit by arrows from a nearby ship, ending his life in the middle of the battle.

Collett told Variety that filming the underwater sequence was extremely difficult because he had to look dead while dealing with the challenges of shooting in water.

“It was really hard to act dead — it’s actually one of the hardest acting I’ve ever done in my life,” Collett said. He added, “It was really fun, but also really challenging trying to keep my eyes open in the water and staying afloat, while also not getting any up my nose. Otherwise, I’d cough, and obviously I’m not dead if I cough.”

The actor also revealed that he knew Jace’s fate was coming. According to Collett, he was told early in the series that his role would only last for two seasons. However, the timing of his exit changed when the Battle of the Gullet was moved from Season 2 to Season 3 because of production costs.

Collett said he was grateful that the scene became the opening episode of the new season instead.

“I knew my fate already, and was taking the days as they come and enjoying myself and just being grateful to be on this show in the first place,” he explained.

With Jace gone, Rhaenyra loses another child and faces an even harder fight for the Iron Throne. Her remaining sons are still too young to join the war, leaving her with fewer options as the battle for Westeros becomes more dangerous than ever.

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