HOTD Season 2: Who Plays Gwayne Hightower?
Gwayne was introduced as a knight in the king’s tournament back in the first-ever episode of “HotD,” picked to joust against Prince Daemon (Matt Smith). We don’t get to see much of his face, but we do get to see him knocked off his horse and face-planting into the mud. It’s not Gwayne’s finest hour as a young knight, but at least he lived to tell the tale.
This appearance is easy to forget, seeing as the scene is less about Gwayne himself and more about foreshadowing the divisions between the Hightowers and the Targaryens. Although young Rhaenyra and Alicent are both friendly and supportive of each other throughout the match, there’s still an underlying tension due to how Rhaenyra is rooting for her uncle Daemon, while Alicent is rooting for her brother Gwayne. The fact that Daemon’s a total jerk at this point, showing zero concern over potentially killing his opponents, only makes thing worse.
The scene’s most memorable moment is when Daemon asks Alicent for her blessing after he unhorses Gwayne. Alicent clearly doesn’t like him, but she plays nice and offers him flowers anyway. Otto seems disappointed in her for this, and Alicent seems to know she’s let him down. It would be another few years before Alicent and Rhaenyra become enemies, but here you could already see the rivalry brewing.
