Aemond Targaryen 'hijacks' House of the Dragon 'and turns it into a horror film'

Ewan Mitchell was only around for a couple episodes of the first season of House of the Dragon, playing the grown up version of warrior prince Aemond Targaryen, but he captured the imaginations of fans. Maybe it's the brooding intensity. Maybe it's the showmanship of putting a sapphire in the socket where his left eye used to be. Maybe it's that he's the kind of hot-headed vengeance demon who would kill his own nephew during a dragon chase scene. From a distance, Aemond seems to have all the pomp and magnetism of an anime villain, and we're abuzz with excitement to see what he does in season 2.

Mitchell himself isn't doing anything to discredit this impression. “[Aemond] hijacks the show and turns it into a horror film,” he told British Vogue. ”[Y]ou’ll see another side to Aemond." He expounds on his approach to the character in a new promo video:

"In a show full of morally compromised, grey characters, I wanted to introduce a character who was completely painted black," Mitchell says. "So long as he's seen as this indestructible, horror-like figure, he'll ascend to this legendary status."

But lest you think that Aemond is nothing but a black-hearted rogue, remember that he didn't actually mean to kill his nephew Luke during that fateful dragon chase, although he was certainly trying to be intimidating; Aemond's dragon Vhagar sort of took matters into her own hands and chomped the little guy to bits. However, Mitchell says that Aemond now has a choice: confess what happened or act like it was his decision to kill his nephew, and I think we all know what choice he'll make. He sees this as a road to immortality: if he can't sit the Iron Throne like his older brother Aegon, then he'll distinguish himself as the baddest, most wicked dragonrider who ever lived.

In addition to being vicious and chaotic, we've also seen hints that season 2 will explore a softer side to Aemond, one he keeps private from the rest of the world as he tries to secure his place in eternity. It all looks like it'll add up to an exciting journey.

Ewan Mitchell has never seen Game of Thrones. "I avoided it."

Elsewhere in the Vogue interview, Mitchell admitted that he's never actually seen Game of Thrones, the show that House of the Dragon is spun off from. “I avoided it," he said. "I wanted to create something fresh.” Rather than basing his character on, say, the unstable Viserys Targaryen from Thrones, Mitchell draws on a deep well of references, including Kirk Douglas in The Vikings and Michael Fassbender in Prometheus. He listens to Metallica, Slipknot and Killswitch Engage “to get the blood pumping” on set. Heavy metal would definitely be in rotation on Aemond's playlist.

I always roll my eyes a bit whenever an actor trots out the, "I didn't watch/read the thing my show/movie is based on because I wanted to stay fresh" line. Like, it's okay if you just didn't feel like looking at the source material. It's not necessary. Mitchell obviously embodies the dedication needed to play Aemond Targaryen, and that's enough for me. “To friends, I come with a disclaimer," he said, "if I get a call, I’m taking it. It doesn’t matter if I’m at a birthday party… I’m jumping on the back of the dragon.”

House of the Dragon season 2 premieres on HBO and Max on Sunday, June 16.

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