During the second season of The Last Kingdom, Ewan Mitchell joined the cast as Osferth, the illegitimate son of the very pious and very married King Alfred. He had been raised in the household of Uhtred's friend and mentor, Leofric, and after that warrior's death, Osferth was sent to Uhtred.
The plan was for Uhtred to hide and protect Osferth from those who might want to harm the bastard son of the king, namely the king's wife, Aelwith. Osferth had much more training as a monk than as a warrior, but Uhtred had a long history of taking in strays and turning them into loyal member of his entourage. So it was with Osferth.
In House of the Dragon, Mitchell plays the adult version of Aemond Targaryen. Aemond is the second son of King Viserys I and his second wife, Alicent Hightower. He's the little brother of King Aegon II, who usurped their half-sister, the named heir Rhaenyra.
Stark differences between Osferth on The Last Kingdom and Aemond on House of the Dragon
As Osferth on The Last Kingdom, Mitchell played a rather shy, unassuming boy with religious training. He's pulled into Uhtred's world of nearly constant war between the Danes and the Saxons. He eventually learned to be a strong warrior monk and key member of Uhtred's circle of friends. Though he learns to fit it in over time, he retains a degree of shyness and remains humble, two traits most of Uhtred's men do not have. He is a sweet character who is well beloved by fans who hated to see his death in season 5.
In House of the Dragon, Mitchell still plays a youth, and the son of a king, but that is where the similarities end. Aemond is twisted to a certain extent due to a fight with his cousins when he was little that cost him an eye and left his face scarred. As a young adult, he wears an eyepatch and the scar is prominent on his pale Targaryen skin.
He's also a trained warrior and killer. Among his brother and cousins, he is most exceeds in his training. He also studies military history and tactics, and when King Viserys dies and Aegon takes the throne, Aemond become his military right arm, no matter what Ser Criston Cole might think.
Where Osferth is quiet, sweet and kind, willing to slip into the background when with his more outgoing, jovial mates, Aemond is quiet in a calculating, manipulative way. When he accidentally kills his young cousin Luke on a dragon, he is upset not because of the death of his relative (who was the one who gave him the scar), but because he knows it is a bad political move that will cause much trouble.
In recent episodes, Aemond behaves in ways that would have been unthinkable to Osferth. In a dragon battle over Rook's Rest, Aemond tries to kill his brother King Aegon, and later takes his place as regent on the Iron Throne. The king lives but it is unknown for how long.
Where Aegon is weak and indecisive, Aemon is strong, confident, and takes control of the crown through regency and as of now, rules Westeros in his dying brother's stead.
Aemond on House of the Dragon is everything that Osferth on The Last Kingdom was not and never wanted to be. While both characters are fighters, they are no way similar. Mitchell has been brilliant in transitioning from the shy, light-hearted, well-loved character on The Last Kingdom to the diabolical villain on House of the Dragon.
It is a fantastic evolution for the 27-year old actor, because Aemond is the much deeper, fleshed out character. Osferth was a background character and Aemond is front and center, especially now. If you didn't know they were played by the same actor, it would be hard to discern it is the same person, so complete is the transformation in look, costume, and personality.
Mitchell is brilliant as the villain and he should continue to play a major role as House of the Dragon proceeds through season 2 and beyond. New episodes air Sunday nights on HBO and Max.
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