Tonight's episode of House of the Dragon introduces a brand-new character: Alys Rivers, played by Gayle Rankin. Who is this mysterious woman?
Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones (The Targaryen Dynasty: The House of the Dragon)
In Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, the show's source material, Alys has prophetic visions and becomes a major force on the Greens side of the Targaryen civil war. Upon her first introduction in House of the Dragon, however, she is a healer working at Harrenhal, in the service of House Strong.
"My particular storyline is quite, for the moment, contained. Contained, let's say—very wild, but contained," Rankin told T&C. About Alys, she added, "I'm obsessed with her. I've always given the opportunity to play people who are pretty prophetic, which is cool, but it's a lot of pressure! She's so fucking cool. I want to really ground her and find her humanity—I always try to find my way into that, but she has a lot of power, too. Just really exciting. I don't think we've seen half of it yet, so that will be fun."
For Rankin, who is also playing Sally Bowles in the Cabaret revival on Broadway right now (a role for which she earned a Tony nomination), she sees links between the two women. "Sally, in so many ways, was so ahead of her time," she says. "She has these secrets to share with us, that only get unfolded by the people who get to play her. I feel lucky, so lucky, to be one of those people, and I think Alys has a quality of that too."
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
