“ JACE IS PROBABLY THE MOST DEPTH I'VE EVER HAD IN A CHARACTER.”

—  HARRY COLLETT ON PLAYING JACAERYS VELARYON IN HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

DG __ How was the experience of the shoot for VESTAL last week? Any memorable or fun moments?

HC __ We shot in this cool apartment in London. It hadn’t been sold yet, and I remember walking in and asking the lady, “Are these for sale? And are you giving away any freebies?” Obviously, the answer was no [laughs] but you don’t ask, you don’t get, so I thought I’d be cheeky. It was a really fun shoot, great working with the team. Super chill vibes.

DG __ It was a big moment for your character in House of the Dragon.

HC __ Life’s been pretty crazy since that episode aired on Sunday. I don’t really dive into myself on TikTok that much, but I’m coming up on my own feed so can’t avoid it. It’s going a bit crazy right now, which I’m really happy about. It also feels like a good time to leave the show.

“ YOU DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STAY IN THE CITY AND KEEP YOUR DREAM ALIVE.”

DG __ Totally agree. It’s always better to go out …

HC __ With a bang! [laughs] Exactly!

DG __ How does stepping into a fashion shoot compare with stepping into a character?

HC __ For me fashion is super diverse in the sense that you can take more risks. I’ll look at something on a rail and think, “That wouldn’t suit me at all,” and then I try it on and it’s completely different. But when you’re developing a character, it’s different because you already have an idea in your head of what you want to do, and it’s about research and building that. With clothes and shoots, you can do a weird pose, take the picture, and think, “I look like an absolute maniac right now.” [laughs] And then you see it back and you’re like, “Damn, that actually looks pretty cool.” So they’re very different, but I love both. I never thought I’d be doing modelling or shoots when I signed up to be an actor. I was six when I signed up. But I’m very lucky to do both sides of it. And every shoot is different, which I really like.

DG __ Wow, you started at six.

HC __ Yeah. I used to street dance with a group called Diversity in the UK, and I was just doing little shows with them. Then I got spotted by an agent, and they went to my mum and dad and said, “Your son would be good for acting.” My parents had no idea about that world. I’d just started street dancing because I really enjoyed it. So they said, “We’re not sure, but we’ll ask him if he wants to do it.” We got in contact with the agent and didn’t really understand what it was, like, is it classes? We weren’t sure. Then an audition came through for Billy Elliot the Musical, for a role that fit me quite well called Small Boy. I went along, and I remember being in the waiting room with all these kids who were proper “diva” kids. You know, clicking their fingers at their parents, bossing them around at six years old. It was pretty crazy. I turned to my parents and said, “I don’t want to end up like them if this is what I have to do.” And my parents were never pushy, they just said, “If you want to leave, you can leave.” So I said I wanted to leave. My dad had the door halfway open, and someone came in and called my name. My dad said, “You might as well just go in and give it a go.” So I went in, and that ended up being my first role. Since then it’s kind of snowballed. It’s all I’ve ever known. At that age you don’t really know what’s happening. You just think it’s normal life. But when you get older and look back, the difference is crazy. Still, I wouldn’t change it. It brought me here, and I’m really grateful for it.

DG __ It feels like it was destiny. You were on your way out and that’s when they called your name.

HC __ Exactly. Everything’s meant to be, in my opinion.

DG __ On the clothes side, did any of the Mithridate pieces change the way you carried yourself in front of the camera?

HC __ I love Mithridate. I wore them for the Brit Awards. I love how unique and quirky the pieces are, but still cool; it’s not too outrageous, not something where you’d walk down the street and people think, “What on earth is he wearing?” It’s got class. It was great to wear them again for this photoshoot. The clothes have this aura of confidence when you wear them.

DG __ Your character in House of the Dragon, Jace, grows up under extraordinary expectations. What interested you most about portraying someone who carries that kind of weight?

HC __ I think this is probably the most depth I’ve ever had in a character. Jace is very complex in the best way. He genuinely has so many things to think about at such a young age. There’s a war going on, he’s thinking about his family, and he’s the heir to the Iron Throne, so he’s making decisions for the future of the realm. At the same time, he’s also a bastard, and he’s being threatened that his title and his dragon could be taken away from him. I think if that had been taken away, he would’ve been forced to always see himself as a bastard, which is a big fear for him. It’s a lot for a 16-year-old to deal with. I really enjoyed playing all those emotions, because it’s genuinely like a teenager’s brain, but on steroids with everything going on.

“ MITHRIDATE HAS THIS AURA OF CONFIDENCE WHEN YOU WEAR THEIR CLOTHES.”

DG __  Do you think young people today can relate to those kinds of expectations and pressures?

HC __ Good question. I think it just depends on everyone’s individual lives. We all live so differently now. There’s so much choice. Young people can go into anything, and there are resources everywhere. You can literally learn something on your phone or laptop in seconds, which is amazing. I think that’s one of the best things about being young now. But at the same time, everyone goes through different pressures, no matter the age. And we are in a position where there is help available if you need it. Online can be a good thing and a bad thing, depending on how you use it. From my side it is very much about living life to the fullest and doing something you’re passionate about. I even talk to friends my age and they’re like, “I want a change. I want to do something completely different.” And I just say, “Well, do it.” That fear of not finding something else or not finding your passion can be the hardest part. But the world is actually quite supportive of people taking risks and making changes.

DG __ The YOLO culture. What do you admire most about Jace? 

HC __ His determination and love for his family. He’s ultimately about sacrifice. If he has a goal, it’s like he’s got blinders on. He’s in a tunnel and can only see the light at the end. And he’d walk miles to get there, even if it took days, as long as he reaches it. That’s kind of how we see him in season three as well. He’s got all this stuff going on, and he’s been so used to people telling him no. I feel like we see a different side of him this season: “I’m done with no. I’m going to do what I want now.” But it’s always with grace behind it, not malice, which I think is important.

DG __ What do you think he gets wrong?

HC __ Probably going to the Gullet. But even so, I don’t even know if I’d call it a mistake. Like I said, it was all sacrifice. He locks his mother up in his eyes to protect her from something that could happen. We don’t know what would’ve happened if Rhaenyra went to the Gullet, whether she would’ve survived or died. There was an untamed dragon in battle, anything could’ve happened. So to Jace, he’s willing to be the sacrifice. In his final moments, I think there’s part of him that’s like, “I’m too young, I don’t want to die.” But at the same time, I think that’s what he feels he was put there to do, to be a leader and make that choice. I feel like he shows his true colors at the end.

DG __ Let’s lighten things up a bit. Are you more likely to spend a day exploring a city or staying home with a good film?

HC __ I’m definitely more about going out in the town, so I’d probably choose that over staying indoors. But my girlfriend’s more of a homebody. She’d happily stay in and read. So she’d be indoors, and I’d be out.

DG __ How does that even work?

HC __ It works fine. It’s not tricky at all. She’s super chill and knows what I’m like and we trust each other. So she’ll happily stay home, and I’ll go out, listen to house music, enjoy myself, then come back, and she’s there. It’s nice.

DG __ That sounds like a very strong relationship, built on trust.

HC __ Yeah, it’s very adult. I love it.

DG __ If you had a lot of time off, what skill would you want to pick up?

HC __ Probably playing padel.

DG __ Why padel?

HC __ I absolutely love it. Tennis is way harder. With padel, you can bounce the ball off the walls, it’s a bit more technical, and that’s  what I enjoy. And it’s becoming quite trendy now, so I feel cooler doing it.

DG __ Do you need a lot of strength for it?

HC __ I’ve got basically zero strength [laughs]. So no. But there’s a lot of running, so endurance. I’m not exactly a padel expert. It is something I want to take up properly. Right now it’s just a bit of fun. I’ll learn a lot more about padel, and in our next interview, we can do a whole one just on padel. I’ll be a dictionary of knowledge on it. [laughs]

DG __ What have you learned about yourself during your time on the show?

HC __ I’ve found that I learn the most from the people you work with, not just the job itself. It’s been really inspiring to be in a cast full of veterans and to learn from them along the way. That’s been a real blessing. You take bits from people’s performances and, in a way, use them in your own acting. You can incorporate elements of their performance into yours, and it pushes you to do things you probably wouldn’t have done otherwise. For example, with Emma D’Arcy, I learned a lot from just how regal they are on set playing Rhaenyra. I wanted Jace to have a bit of that dragon blood energy. Because he’s half “bastard,” I think he’s always trying a bit harder to be regal, even if that’s not fully who he is deep down. When he goes into his room, he’s probably a completely different person. With Emma, it was that sense of regality. And with Matt Smith, it was how vocal he is and how much of a badass he is on set. I think Jace would definitely aspire to that as well. So it’s really just taking little bits from people like that and incorporating them into your own work. It also helps that you’re playing within the same family on screen, so you can really build from that.

DG __ House of the Dragon is a story about responsibility, identity, and consequence. As you enter this next chapter of your career, what do you hope to carry forward, and what do you hope to leave behind?

HC __ Good question. What do I want to leave behind? To be honest, I don’t think I would choose to leave anything behind, because I feel like everything’s happened for a reason. Even if something difficult has happened in my career, I’ll always be glad it happened because I’ve learned from it. Going forward, I just want to play as many versatile roles as possible, more in-depth characters, and keep trying new things. It’s like fashion, really. You see something on the rack and think, “I don’t want to wear that, that looks silly,” and then you put it on and it feels completely different. It’s the same with ideas. Something might seem silly at first, but once you work on it, it can become something special. So I think it’s about not judging things too quickly, staying open, taking risks, and trying new things. That’s what I want to do. Ultimately, I want to look back and feel like I’ve done completely different things in my career. Told a lot of different stories through different people, and really pushed myself.

BEHIND THE STORY Some chapters end long before the audience is ready to let them go. For Harry Collett, saying goodbye to Jacaerys Velaryon wasn't about leaving a character behind; it was about making room for everything that comes next. Throughout the conversation, one idea surfaced again and again: growth comes from staying open, taking risks, and resisting the comfort of familiarity. That philosophy shaped the story just as much as the clothes he wore. In front of the camera, Harry tackled the unexpected with the same instinct that now guides his career, proving that the most compelling transformations begin when you're willing to step into the unknown.

Photography Eddie Blagbrough (Sunday), Styling Zak Maoui (The Set Agency), Grooming Josh Knight (A-Frame Agency), Talent Harry Collett (Premiere Personal PR), Location Vabel Townhouse, Special Thanks DDRE. Designer Collection Mithridate by Daniel W. Fletcher