James Norton has said he feels “proud” to be part of a show like House Of The Dragon, which leans into practical effects as much as possible, particularly in a climate when AI is becoming more prominent.

The British actor joined House Of The Dragon in its third season, and can currently be seen in action as Ormund Hightower.

Speaking to Jessie Ware on her podcast Table Manners, James admitted: “I’ve got to say, like in the world of AI, I feel like shows like House of the Dragon stand for something important because so much of what you see is actually real.”

“I mean, the dragons aren’t,” he quickly added of the Game Of Thrones spin-off. “But even the heads of the dragons are real.

“So when you see the dragon [in House Of The Dragon], what we see as actors is about three people all dressed in blue, like the Blue Man Group, head to toe in blue. They’re holding these big sticks, and they have the dragon’s head on it, and they have the wings as well on sticks, and so they move. They’re like puppeteers.”

Reflecting on the rise of AI in the entertainment industry, and the world at large, he said it is “really humbling and encouraging to be on a set” like House Of The Dragon.

“It’s incredible,” he enthused. “Basically, the studio builds are vast and so detailed. I mean, everything like my sword, the armour, it was all so intricate, and there were teams of people who made my sword. You know, they have an old-fashioned blacksmith fashioning the metal.”

George R R Martin, the author of the Game Of Thrones book series, has previously heaped praise on the way that dragons are portrayed in the new prequel compared to the main show.

Back in 2023, he lamented that Game Of Thrones’ central dragons “were like all the same”, while in House Of Dragon, the mythical creatures “had personality” and “came alive”.

However, since then, the writer appears to have had something of a falling out with the team behind House Of The Dragon, claiming his relationship with showrunner Ryan Condal is “abysmal”.