‘House of the Dragon’ star enjoying King’s InterHigh

Maddie’s TV and film obsession started when she was young. While she enjoyed shopping with her friends as much as they did, the cinema provided something else: an opportunity to be indulged in storytelling. She later found a mentor – acting coach Dominique Moore of DMA London, a young actors’ studio. Dominique would later help her land her role as Dyana on House of the Dragon.

This happened fast. A few weeks after sending in a self-tape for a different character, she got a call from the team of Kate Rhodes James, the show’s casting director, asking her to tape specifically for Dyana. That was a Thursday evening. Maddie and Dominique began working on her tape the next morning.

The moment she began reading the script, she realised how lucky she was to be trusted with such a monumental narrative. “Playing this young girl who’s had her voice ripped away from her was a surreal, magical experience,” she explains.

“Dyana represents all women who’ve been victimised. She’s someone many can relate to because she’s a young girl trying to survive in a crazy universe. She’s worked hard in life, and life doesn’t reward her.”

Sad Songs

Maddie turned to her Spotify playlists for getting into character. She has hundreds for different moods, but on this occasion opted for sad songs. Her episode’s director, Geeta Vasant Patel, and crew members also helped make her feel comfortable throughout the shoot and to portray Dyana’s life authentically.

“Everyone on set respected where I needed to go emotionally,” she says. “What I love so much about this show is each character comes with backstory, and that’s real life. Nobody turns up, has one thing happen to them and then leaves. That’s not reality.”

She also has good things to say about her scene’s co-star, and one of the show’s main cast members: Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower). “She’s an absolute angel. She’s talented, hilarious, and treats everyone on set with equal respect. We had the best time filming this intense dynamic between Dyana and Alicent. But more importantly, she’s a good human.”

With Covid-19 restrictions having been relaxed for months at the time of her episode’s release, you could be forgiven for forgetting many TV shows over the last two years were filmed under strict conditions. House of the Dragon was no exception.

Maddie had a filming bubble of co-stars and crew members to stick to, but this didn’t prevent her from meeting some big names. “I got to meet Paddy Considine (Viserys Targaryen) and Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower) whilst waiting to go back on set, and they were so nice. Everyone on set got along so well and the vibes were immaculate.”

Her praise goes beyond the main cast, recognising that without departments like costume, hair and makeup, and production runners, there would be no show. “We’d all be standing around in the cold without them,” she says, reserving particular appreciation for her episode’s cinematographer, Catherine Goldschmidt. “She really captured the whole episode in such an emotional way.”

Social Media and Celebrities

House of the Dragon isn’t Maddie’s only major acting credit. You can hear her voice in DreamWorks’s and Netflix’s children’s show Rhyme Time Town, where she plays hedgehog Mary Mary. As the name may suggest, her character is contrary, as well as sassy, opinionated, and outspoken. “I had a great time playing that character and being part of that show,” Maddie tells us. “She’s so different, and I think this show embraces difference in such a magical way.”

Then there’s the BBC radio documentary Pieces of Britney, where she voices a young Britney Spears. Maddie says researching this role made her realise the way people behave on social media, and how celebrities are represented, needs to change. “We forget they’re just humans. They experience life. They experience heartbreak, they experience trauma. We need to respect they’re not ideal, shiny humans, because they don’t exist.”

She also learned Britney had to deal with a lot from a young age. “She was a child who worked hard and did so much for her family, and had to mature quickly. She got her youth taken away from her. It was important for me to understand that and work that into the story.”

Authentic Self

When it comes to her education, Maddie says finding King’s InterHigh was like discovering a hidden gem. She credits the school for supporting her throughout her GCSEs, and enjoys the option of being able to catch up with lesson recordings. Thanks to this, she never feels like she’s missing out anything while on set. All she has to do is bring her laptop and headphones with her, and she can catch-up when there’s time.

Online learning has helped dissolve the stress present in some physical schools. “Young people feel so much pressure. Mainstream schools have such high expectations for so many of my friends and it’s unfair,” she says. “We should be able to go to school to learn and become better people, not stress and panic ourselves.”

The opportunity to be authentic is also a key draw for her. “With online schooling, you can be yourself without the judgement of other people, which is refreshing. This is my third year at King’s InterHigh and I’m loving it.”

Although her A Level subjects are English literature, film studies and business studies, she looks back on her history GCSE with fondness. This is thanks to her teacher, Lizzie Quigley, who made lessons hilarious. “I’d find myself looking at my timetable to see when my next lesson would be, because I was having such a great time.”

“One time, my teacher compared planning an essay with making a burger. This led to a discussion about her favourite burger recipes, and how to make an essay lovely and juicy.”

Before joining King’s InterHigh, Maddie had concerns about socialising at online school. But it was a lot easier to make friends than she thought it would be. Her teachers encouraged social interaction, putting her in breakout rooms with classmates. Here, everyone was eager and friendly.

If you don’t fit in at mainstream school or are easily distracted here, Maddie thinks online school is for you. “King’s InterHigh will help you get back on track,” she says. “It will be different than what you’re used to at the start, but it’s totally worth going for.”

The Perfect Cookie

What else should you know about Maddie? Her favourite season is Christmas, and she once thought she was good at ice skating. Turns out, she’s not. “I thought I was going to die. I was so bad!” She laughs. She likes baking, but is still looking for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. “If you have the secret, tell me. I always follow the recipe, and it never works.’

As for when we’ll next see Maddie on our screens, there’s nothing she can talk about just yet. “Being on set and filming is the most magical experience, and being a storyteller is incredible. I wouldn’t change that for the world, and I’ll be forever grateful that I get to pursue something I love,” she explains. “I want to keep playing characters and people who’re authentic and have layers. Humans are complicated and messy, and nobody is perfect.”

Could she play a superhero one day? She says landing a role within the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be a dream come true, as would emulating the career of Florence Pugh or Viola Davis. “They’re two powerful women who use storytelling to influence change.”

Right now, Maddie is set on getting the best education she can. Then the future is hers. “I’ve always thought ‘I’ll do my GCSEs, and I’ll do my A Levels. And then I’m going to be free. I’m going to continue to work in the industry and be an actor and a storyteller, because that’s what I love.”