House of the Dragon star reveals how God of War inspired his biggest scene: : 'I was leaning into Kratos'

June 14, 2026 - 19:31

Abubakar Salim, who plays a key role in House of the Dragon, has revealed the unexpected inspiration behind his most intense scene in the season 3 premiere. The actor admitted he leaned heavily into the persona of Kratos, the iconic protagonist from the God of War video game series, to bring a raw, primal energy to the fight.

In a recent interview, Salim explained that the scene required a level of unhinged brutality that felt familiar to anyone who has played the games. "I was leaning into Kratos," he said. "There is a specific kind of rage and weight to that character's movements. It is not just about swinging a weapon; it is about the history of pain behind every strike." The actor noted that the physicality of the moment demanded a performance that was less about choreographed elegance and more about a desperate, almost monstrous survival instinct.

Salim described how he studied the game's combat sequences to capture the specific rhythm of Kratos's attacks. He wanted the audience to feel the exhaustion and the fury simultaneously. The result, he hopes, is a scene that feels both fantastical and deeply human in its savagery. The premiere episode has already drawn significant attention for its visceral action, and Salim's method acting approach appears to have paid off, grounding the high fantasy violence in a recognizable, if terrifying, emotional reality.