Clinton Liberty's eyes were glued to the screen the first time he watched House of the Dragon. The actor remembers exactly where he was when he saw Steve Toussaint play the formidable Corlys Velaryon, aka the Sea Snake, in the Game of Thrones spin-off series. "I'm from a really small village in Ireland called Laytown, in a county called Meath," he recalls. "I remember seeing Steve Toussaint on the screen, and having this really sharp thought of, 'I can do that. I just need an opportunity. I just need a shot.'"
The 28-year-old sent in his self-tape, which he filmed at home where he lived with his mum, and the rest is history. He was cast as Addam of Hull from season two, a character who boasts one of his favourite scenes in the entire epic franchise – when he's chased by the dragon Sea Smoke, who chooses him as his rider. As a massive fantasy nerd, the idea of being chosen by a dragon is one of those moments you imagine happening to you.
Clinton knew he was meant to star in House of the Dragon when he saw Steve Toussaint play Corlys Velaryon. The moment Sea Smoke chooses Clinton is from season two episode six, when Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) is on the hunt for more dragonriders to join Team Black. She decides to seek out commonfolk with traces of Targaryen ancestry, and she winds up with three new riders – Addam of Hull, Ulf the White (Tom Bennett), and Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew).
While Ulf and Hugh are chosen by their dragons after being taken by Rhaenyra to the dragonpit, Addam's experience is more unorthodox, as he's just going about his day when a dragon swoops in and starts pursuing him. He fears for his life before he realises that Sea Smoke is going to do him no harm. "Addam is kind-hearted and a good-natured person, and wants to do the best by everyone," Clinton explains.
Going into season three, Addam is in an interesting position. He's officially a dragonrider who's joined Team Black against the Greens, but Rhaenyra refuses to legitimise him or his brother Alyn (Abubakar Salim), despite the request being made by their father, Corlys. Corlys is furious. How dare Rhaenryra deny making Alyn and Addam legitimate, after everything he's lost in the fight to get her on the Iron Throne?
Addam has a seemingly unbreakable bond with his brother, Alyn. Clinton had a connection with Abu before they played brothers Addam and Alyn. "We're practically brothers in real life," he explains. "I'll never forget the first day I told Abu how much of a fan of his I was, because he played a character in a game called Assassin's Creed," Clinton recollects.
Clinton's character Addam mirrors his life. "For Addam, being a normal person and then being transported into a greater height, it's the exact same thing as me being from the village in Laytown, and then being on the biggest show in the world, which is also my favourite show and favourite franchise of all time," Clinton says.
House of the Dragon fans will be glad to know that Addam is close with the actors who play Ulf and Hugh in real life. "We genuinely care about each other and love each other's families," Clinton shares. "I remember so many days, for two hours plus, we'd just be sitting outside our trailers and talking about our lives and our journey up until this point, and how grateful we were to be a part of something so big, and that gratitude we share."
