Dragon riding is particularly, um, fun, say 'House of the Dragon' stars

“It’s exactly like riding a dragon in real life,” says Eve Best, who plays Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. “It’s desperately uncomfortable in armor. I kept shouting, ‘Bring me more padding.’ You’re in this kind of position with your legs up under your feet and you’re wearing this kind of tin can and they’re rocking you.”

Passed over as the heir to the throne because the lords of the realm favored her cousin, Princess Rhaenys is nevertheless a skilled dragon rider.

Best says when they finish those scenes, she’s still stuck in the saddle, calling for someone to help her down. “I loved every second of it. I felt rather proud of myself that I came off it alive.”

Bethany Antonia, who plays Lady Baela Targaryen, gets a chance to ride in the second season. “You see what they’ve animated before you get on the dragon, so you know what it’s going to look like,” she says. “And then you get on and it’s like a buckin’ bronco. It’s so cool…and what made me laugh was that it always comes down to a guy with a wind machine. No matter how much budget you have, how much CGI, there’s always going to be a guy with a wind machine and you’re going to be upside down.”

Best says dragon riding conveys a lot of power. And if you’re politically savvy? It’s the best of all worlds.

Featuring Black characters as something other than background characters is important with a show like “House of the Dragons,” Antonia says. “I didn’t get to see that when I was younger. I really wanted to be in something like this so that there were people who somebody could dress up like. Those are the things that you get to enjoy when you’re in these kinds of fandoms.”

Representation matters, adds Steve Toussaint, who plays Lord Corlys Velaryon. “When I was a kid in the dark ages and there would be science fiction programs and there were very few, if any, people who looked like me. Me and my friends used to joke about it,” Toussaint says. “This is set in the future and we’re not there. ‘What are they going to do to us?’

“But I can’t tell you the amount of people who have contacted me and said how pleased they are to see representation in this world. It’s important for you to feel like you are something…and you have a contribution to make.”

And playing a Black dragon rider? It’s the best, says Antonia. “If one person gets to see it and go, ‘Wow, that’s somebody who is like me,’ it was worth it.”

“House of the Dragon” is now airing on HBO.