King Aegon lives! Despite being burnt to a crisp by his younger brother’s dragon in episode four, the eldest Targaryen boy survives. House Of The Dragon’s fifth installment, “Regent,” reveals that Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) doesn’t die after falling in battle. Instead, he’s charred and so badly injured he can barely talk, and the maesters have to cut off his armor as Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) look on.
It means Aegon is out of action for a while, and we’re robbed of Glynn-Carney’s stellar portrayal of a character who could’ve easily become a one-note villain like Game Of Thrones’ Joffrey (Jack Gleeson). The actor imbues Aegon with much-needed complexity, ranging from comic relief to heartbreak. The A.V. Club spoke to Glynn-Carney about fleshing out the role in season two, how he views Aegon’s state of mind now, and the turning point in his journey.
The A.V. Club: Knowing what was going to happen to Aegon in episodes four and five, how did you want to play up his state of mind before he decides to ride on Sunfyre straight into battle? What were the conflicting emotions you wanted to take the time to depict?
Tom Glynn-Carney: I think the focus was to show he’s pushed to the limit in a way he hasn’t before. He’d just been painfully reminded about his biggest insecurity of being seen as weak and useless. Alicent said that to him in no uncertain terms. So I think he felt like he was backed into a corner and felt this was the only thing he could do. At least that’s how I justified his actions. And in doing so he realizes he’s not naturally a warrior. He doesn’t have that sort of brave, fearless mentality of some of the other characters. So he needs something to numb his fear and gets absolutely blind drunk and gets around to it.
AVC: How much do you think it weighs on Aegon that he has to follow in the footsteps of his father?
TGC: Viserys [Paddy Considine] was the only sort of positive male figure on the show. Not positive to Aegon necessarily, but at least to the masses, so that’s his experience. I think seeing the way the small folk responded to Viserys while he was growing up showed Aegon his father was a good king who was liked and well-respected. He’s forged good and healthy relationships with people, so I definitely think it’s an element Aegon wants to replicate. You see that in episode one. But there’s a very, very quick realization that Aegon isn’t Viserys. He’s a completely different beast who has to play to his strengths.
AVC: In episode four, Aegon is fighting Meleys and Rhaenys, then feels relief when Aemond shows up, and it quickly turns to fear. What was it like to portray this range in so little time? What talks did you have with Alan Taylor about your performance in it?
TGC: Yeah, as you said there wasn’t much time. We did like bullet points of moments we wanted to bring to life and what needs to be a priority. Yes, he sees his brother coming on Vhagar and the goal is to show that Aegon thinks it’s to rescue him. But the melee continues because that’s how the dragons are and that’s how the fight is going. There’s no escaping that fire and whatever else is coming Aegon’s way. Of course, people can make their own decisions on what Aemond’s intentions are, that bit is up for grabs. We didn’t want to fully spoon-feed that either. We spoke at length about these moments, especially seeing fear in Aegon’s eyes but also showing that he’s driven to prove himself.
AVC: Episode five reveals that he’s alive but badly burned. There’s only one line of dialogue you get, which is “Mummy.” It feels very vulnerable and understandable that he regresses to this child-like state and calls after his mother.
TGC: Exactly. He’s completely disfigured. He can’t breathe or see or talk. talk. I’m sure we all would regress to a child-like state.
AVC: What was it like to play this version of Aegon now and how long did it take to get into character in terms of the makeup and prosthetics?
TGC: There’s less acting required of course but it didn’t feel too different or that I was doing less work. Getting the makeup done took a long time though, especially in the early stages. It was taking seven hours and we gradually got that down to fewer hours. It’s still a long time, and I was also in that armor for the full day. Luckily, I was surrounded by a gorgeous team who were so accommodating, helpful, and encouraging. It was great when it could have been more difficult, let’s put it that way.
AVC: A key scene for Aegon is when he fires Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) as his Hand. Do you feel like it marked a turning point in how he saw himself operating as a ruler? Will he regret doing it now?
GC: I don’t think he regrets it because Otto was restricting and filtering Aegon. He was slamming the brakes the entire time, he was like a handbrake. And as soon as that happened, he sort of snapped free. He felt like he could make progress even if it wasn’t an immediate success. So no, I don’t think he regrets it. It’s for sure a turning point as well because I think finds strength in it. You really see him step into being the king and using his power. He’s been in the same room as Otto many times and knows he’s one of the most powerful people. That status shifts at that moment for Aegon. I find it so stimulating because here’s this person who is the patriarch of the family and is just being reduced to a little boy who has to take his badge off and give it to someone else.
AVC: What’s it like to work with Ewan Mitchell, especially as Aegon and Aemond’s brotherly rivalry comes to a head this season?
TGC: Oh, yeah, I love Ewan. He’s great, it’s always a joy to scare scenes with him. We both dive in and take it seriously when we’re living in these characters, but it’s a lot of fun. As for the brotherly bond, everyone thinks Aegon is ripping Aemond, but then he calls him out too at the small council meeting [in Valyrian]. It’s the same thing. It’s bullying as well. So what happens in that brothel scene, for example, if you walk in and find your brother there, you’re not going to go “Sorry guys, I’ll leave you alone.” You’ll make fun of him, too.
AVC: You’ve said before you watched the entirety of Game Of Thrones in three weeks once you got the HOTD role. Did watching it influence your performance in this show at all?
TGC: No, I find that dangerous, in that you can start to try and replicate a template that’s already been set for some by someone else. The beauty of a show like ours is that we’ve got a lot of actors jumping into it with fresh ideas. And we’re not making Game Of Thrones even if it’s part of the same world. It’s a different show entirely. What has been great to see this season is the newer characters and people working on it come in with their own opinions and brave, bold choices. It’s multi-layered and colorful.
AVC: You’re able to bring more layers to Aegon this season, and it’s easy to feel bad for him at times. What’s it like to be able flesh out his complexities so he’s not a one-note villain?
TGC: It’s great to be able to spend longer with a character because you end up getting to know them more and your choices become more informed. Aegon feels more lived in now because I’m coming at it from a greater depth and investigation. A lot of that work has been done. So yeah, it’s great because the character becomes a part of you in a way. After all, you’ve played them for so long. Aegon has increased responsibility this time so I like riding the wave of where they’re going with it. It’s brilliant that he’s a pivotal character in the story even now after episode five.