In the Game of Thrones franchise, the characters who usually survive the longest are the ones who fly under the radar for the majority of their time on the show.

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In House of the Dragon, we can expect to see Mysaria, played by Sonoya Mizuno, dancing among some of the most powerful figures in the series, despite not being from a noble household herself.

And while Mysaria has a very interesting backstory in the books, it seems her character will be quite different to how George R R Martin originally portrayed her.

Speaking to Women's Wear Daily, Mizuno said: "My character veers quite far away from the character in the book. That is both liberating and a challenge for me and the director. Liberating in the sense that we had more free rein, but also it still had to have a kind of framework."

Speaking more on her character, Mizuno added: "She's a self-made woman who is also making a lot of mistakes in the first season. It felt like she was going on a journey of understanding who she was and what she wanted in her life, and making mistakes."

The actress said Mysaria's progression is "very human", but teased that she still got to ride some dragons!

Read on for more detail about Mysaria from the books and what we could expect from her in House of the Dragon.

Who is Mysaria in House of the Dragon?

Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria in House of the Dragon
Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria in House of the Dragon. HBO

Mysaria was originally a slave from Essos, who became a prostitute in Westeros.

Through climbing the ranks in King's Landing, she would go on to become the paramour (lover) of Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith).

**Warning: the following contains spoilers for the book and possibly the TV series**

In the book Fire & Blood, Mysaria fell pregnant with Daemon's baby, and he would offer her the extremely rare and precious gift of a dragon egg for his unborn child, angering King Viserys (Paddy Considine) who banished her back to her home country of Lys.

While making her way back she lost the baby, causing Daemon to desire revenge...

She would go on to become a mistress of whisperers and have a greater influence on the unfolding events than she should have ever imagined.

Will her meddling bring about success or failure? Only time will tell...

Who is Sonoya Mizuno?

British actress Sonoya Mizuno poses on the red carpet upon arrival to attend the HBO original drama series "House of the Dragon" premiere at Leicester Square Gardens, in London, on August 15, 2022
Sonoya Mizuno at the House of the Dragon Premiere. HOLLIE ADAMS/AFP via Getty Images

Mizuno is best known for her role as Kyoko in 2014 film Ex Machina, but she also had a part in the award-winning La La Land as Caitlin.

The actress also starred as Lily Chan in Hulu series Devs, played Dr Azumi Fujita in Netflix's Maniac alongside Emma Stone and Jonah Hill, and was Araminta Lee in Crazy Rich Asians.

House of the Dragon airs exclusively on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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Authors

Helen Daly
Helen DalyAssociate Editor

Helen Daly is the Associate Editor for Radio Times, overseeing new initiatives and commercial projects for the brand. She was previously Deputy TV Editor at a national publication. She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Media & Journalism from Newcastle University.

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