Warning: Contains potential SPOILERS for His Dark Materials season 3, and for Philip Pullman's book The Amber Spyglass.With the show coming to a climactic end, the question of how old Lyra and Will are in His Dark Materials season 3 is a key concern for the audience. Throughout the two previous series and Phillip Pullman's original novels, age, adolescence, and growing up are major themes that permeate the narrative. This makes it vital that the show faithfully reflects this focus moving into His Dark Materials season 3.
In the original third His Dark Materials novel, The Amber Spyglass, protagonists Lyra and Will are supposed to be around 12-13 years old. When Will first meets Lyra in the mysterious other-world of Cittàgazze, he is supposed to be 12. Coupled with the inevitable passage of time, and in lieu of any identifiying birthday parties, it's safe to assume that he is either 12 or 13 in His Dark Materials season 3. Likewise, Lyra is 11 in The Northern Lights, the opening novel of the trilogy, which would make her of a similar age to Will in the final His Dark Materials season.
How Old Lyra & Will's Actors Are In His Dark Materials Season 3
While the show has remained relatively faithful to the characters throughout the preceding two seasons, His Dark Materials season 3 faces a slight authenticity problem due to the age of its leading actors. Although Dafne Keene was 13 when she signed on to play the 11-year-old Lyra, delays in production as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that she was 16 by the time His Dark Materials season 3 started filming. As such, she looks slightly older than the book character she represents. Likewise, Amir Wilson (Will Parry) was 14 when season 1 began filming, but was 17 during season 3 production.
Interestingly, the studio anticipated the potential problems with its aging stars by filming His Dark Materials seasons 1 and 2 back-to-back. This was to avoid any potentially awkward continuity questions and ensure that Lyra and Will both looked as age-accurate as possible. Unfortunately, thanks to the unforeseeable consequences of COVID-19, even the studio's best efforts were somewhat thwarted and replicating this approach proved impossible.
Why Lyra & Will's Ages Are So Important In His Dark Materials
Throughout Pullman's seminal work, coming of age is a key theme. Narratively, adolescence and puberty are central to the trilogy's major plot device – Dust. In Pullman's world, Dust coalesces around adults and ignores children, explaining the Magisterium's barbaric study of the substance on Bolvanger. As a result, the transition from childhood to adulthood is crucial not just thematically, but also as an important narrative driver in Pullman's novels.
Given this, having actors who can accurately portray teenagers at this vital moment in their lives was essential in accurately translating His Dark Materials season 3 to the screen. Unlike other teenage-centric works like Harry Potter, age and the precipice between childhood and adulthood are vital in understanding Pullman's wider concerns. Even though the actors playing Lyra and Will are now older than their book counterparts, having two performers who can somewhat convincingly represent this transformative period in His Dark Materials season 3 is a prerequisite to making the show a success.
His Dark Materials season 3 releases new episodes Mondays on HBO.