Is Gwayne Hightower gay? House of the Dragon cast confirm Ormund and Cole subtext
28 July 2026, 13:13 | Updated: 28 July 2026, 14:25
Fabien Frankel and James Norton have revealed that Freddie Fox played into Ser Gwayne Hightower's feelings for Ser Criston Cole and Lord Ormund Hightower and vice versa.
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House of the Dragon is famous for its queer subtext but is Ser Gwayne Hightower gay and do Ser Criston Cole or Lord Ormund Hightower have romances with Gwayne? Here's what the actors have said about their characters' sexualities.
Game of Thrones is no stranger to having LGBTQ+ characters and House of the Dragon is no different. Not only was Rhaenyra's first husband Laenor Velaryon canonically homosexual but there have long been theories that Rhaenyra and Alicent love each other romantically. Milly Alcock and Emily Carey have also said that they played into it.
Now, Freddie Fox's character Gwayne Hightower is taking centre stage in House of the Dragon and there have been multiple implications that he is gay. Not only that but fans think that there has been gay subtext between him and Ormund Hightower and Ser Criston Cole. Now, Fabien Frankel and James Norton have spoken out about it.
- Read more: House of the Dragon makes huge change to Ser Criston Cole scene from the book
- Read more: House Of The Dragon cast confirm they played Rhaenyra and Alicent as queer
Watch the House of the Dragon season 3 weeks ahead trailer
Does Gwayne Hightower love Ser Criston Cole?
In House of the Dragon season 3, Gwayne and Ser Criston Cole appear to bond as knights together and some viewers believe that there is is sexual tension between them. Not only that but they ship the two characters as a couple and think that they possibly acted on their feelings while working as a duo.
Speaking to Vulture, Fabien Frankel said: "Freddie Fox and I are aware of our feelings about Gwayne and Cole. I don’t know that the writers feel necessarily that that’s something they want out there, but I will speak on behalf of Freddie and myself: We back that belief as far as people want to take it."
When asked if Gwayne was inviting Cole to "live with him in Oldtown", Fabien said: "Freddie did absolutely see that. Freddie has felt that way; there’s definitely an arc that Freddie has been aware of."
He added: "He and I have had conversations about Gwayne’s feelings for Cole, and that they have developed into more than just camaraderie and a professional working relationship."
So Fabien and Freddie did play into the gay subtext between Gwayne and Cole.
Is Ormund Hightower gay? What happened with Gwayne?
In House of the Dragon season 3 episode 6, Gwayne reunites with Ormund and, not only does Ormund make a direct reference to Gwayne's sexuality by saying '"i'm sure you found solace with some of your brothers in arms', but there also appears to be some backstory between the two cousins.
Talking to Decider, James Norton said: "In a way, you don't get to see Ormund's true authentic self until you see him interacting with Gwayne. It was important as well as fun imagining Ormund and Gwayne as kids and what went on, what went down. I think a lot went down."
He ended by saying: We nodded to a very complicated history. We nodded to it in a couple of moments. Gwayne's relationship with Ormund is in itself a very complex rich place to delve."
In other words, it appears that Gwayne and Ormund perhaps experimented with each other as teenagers.
Is Gwayne Hightower gay in the House of the Dragon book?
Gwayne Hightower's romantic life isn't really explored in Fire & Blood. He never marries and we never find out who he has relationships with be they men or women. As a result, the storyline involving his sexuality is new to the show.
In fact, Gwayne doesn't even go on a campaign with Cole in the book so that plot has been added to the series.
Read more House of the Dragon news here:
- House of the Dragon writer is "baffled" fans are thirsting over Matt Smith's Daemon
- House of the Dragon's Ewan Mitchell defends controversial scene that isn't in the book
- House of the Dragon cast confirm they played Rhaenyra and Alicent as queer
- Olivia Cooke says trolling from House of the Dragon fans left her depressed
- House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock says her sudden fame “f---ing sucks”
WATCH: House of the Dragon Cast Take On A Chaotic Mystery Interview
House Of The Dragon Cast Take On A Chaotic Mystery Interview
