House of the Dragon star Ewan Mitchell explains how Michael Myers inspired Aemond Targaryen
Jul. 8, 2024Exclusive: Ewan Mitchell talks his Aemond inspirations – and when he might watch Game of Thrones
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Aemond Targaryen is one spooky character – from the striking sapphire eye to the giant, bloodthirsty dragon, it’s clear this prince is not one to be messed with. It might not come as a huge surprise, then, that he was partly inspired by one of the most famous horror figures of all time.
Ahead of the massiveHouse of the Dragon season 2, episode 4, we spoke to Ewan Mitchell, the actor behind Aemond’s eyepatch. Along withdiving into that dramatic ending, we also touched on Mitchell’s inspirations for playing his fearsome character.
“I purposely didn’t watchGame of Thronesbecause I didn’t want it to influence my decisions with Aemond and the choices that I would make with him,” Mitchell tells us. “Whether it be consciously or subconsciously, I wanted to very much present a character who was otherworldly. And so I took inspiration from other worlds. I took inspiration from Michael Fassbender’s character David inPrometheus, Kirk Douglas in The Vikings, Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, and also ’80s horror icons.
“The idea that no matter how slow Michael Myers walks, he always catches up with Jamie Lee Curtis: that idea of inevitability,” he continues. “And it’s almost like the image that they convey, it’s larger than life. It’s like another energy, and I thought there was something super fascinating in exploring that.”
But, Mitchell is planning on watching Game of Thrones someday. “Until we wrap up on the story that we want to tell, then I’ll check out that story,” he says. “But I am looking forward to it, because it is such a cultural zeitgeist.”
House of the Dragon season 2airs weekly on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW in the UK and HBO in the US.
For more from our interview with Mitchell, check out the actor on thedramatic episode 4 ending, whatAemond has in common with Robert De Niro’s Heat character, and therivalry between Aemond and Daemon. You can also read more on House of the Dragon with our deep dives below:
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I’m a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site’s Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.
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