If you thought your chances of spotting a Targaryen on the streets of Sydney were slim, think again, because one Westeros power couple is planning to head Down Under.
Eve Best and Steve Toussaint, a.k.a. The Queen Who Never Was Rhaenys Targaryen, the Lord of the Tides, and Driftmark Master Corlys Velaryon from House of the Dragon, are huge fans of Australia.
Best visits Sydney regularly as her sister has called the eastern suburbs home for many years.
Meanwhile, Toussaint starred alongside Australia’s Stephen Curry in the miniseries Pine Gap, which was filmed in Adelaide and Alice Springs.
Best is particularly jealous of her working husband’s Australian CV, and confirms she’s looking for a role in Oz.
“I would love to do that,” Best said.
“Please, please, take me to Sydney!”
What Best wants most is the laid-back lifestyle in Australia.
She has fond memories of the time she visited family in Sydney while preparing for her audition.
“I remember there was a certain amount of stress involved in having to deliver the script… everyone in London and New York was really stressed,” Best recalls.
“Agents and people were trying to arrange delivery, which was a really high maintenance cost.
“And then at my sister’s house where I was staying, excitedly, maybe a few days later, this guy with the surfer haircut, no shoes and a T-shirt literally just fell off the beach.
“He kind of just dropped it and said, ‘Oh, honey.’
“It was just great.”
Toussaint has his own story of larrikinism to tell.
He has just finished filming Pine Gap, a drama centered around the secret Australian US military facility of the same name, and has decided to spend his holiday in Sydney before returning to the Northern Hemisphere.
In telling this story, Toussaint uses an Australian accent so impressive you’d swear it was real blue.
“There was this bartender and he asked me, ‘You know what’s good after a long day?’” Toussaint said.
“So I said, ‘What is this?’ “Cold beer drink.”
“Do you know what is even good for any problems in your life? “Cold beer drink.”
“And he became my friend. What a great philosophy.”
Unfortunately, despite rave reviews and a legion of fans around the world, including legendary author Stephen King, who tweeted about his love for the series, Pine Gap was not renewed for a second season.
Toussaint said if they ever changed their mind, he would agree.
“It was amazing,” Toussaint said.
“It was one of those weird things where I thought, ‘this is a good, really smart show – wow, that doesn’t happen very often.’
“But they didn’t go anymore.”
With HBO yet to confirm a third season of House of the Dragon, Best may have time to pursue an Australian production as well.
It’s a prospect that tempts her.
“You have the sea and these unbelievably gorgeous beaches right on your doorstep. After work, you just dive into the crystal clear water,” Best said.
“Everyone is outdoors and I just love the fact that it’s so health-conscious here – everyone is outdoors in the morning, either by the ocean or running
“It just felt like such an energizing, exciting place, almost at the very end.
“I loved this place. I desperately want to go back.”
The second season of House Of The Dragon will be streamed on Binge and available on Hubbl from June 17
Originally published as Westeros power couple reveal their special connections to Australia