SPOILER ALERT! This story contains details from episode 5 of House of the Dragon on HBO.
The epic dance of the dragons in episode four led many viewers to believe that King Aegon, played by Tom Glynn-Carney, wasn’t long for this world after he and Sunfyre plunged to the ground — no thanks to the evil Aemond (Ewan Mitchell).
But Glynn-Carney is here to tell everyone that his volatile character is very much alive … for now. Here, the U.K. actor talks about that aerial battle, what it’s like to play such an annoying bloke, and whether his character truly reviles his younger brother Aemond.
DEADLINE Is that you lying in bed in episode 5, getting the burnt Valyrian steel peeled off of your body?
TOM GLYNN-CARNEY It certainly is me.
DEADLINE I thought you were dead. So you’re not dead yet?
GLYNN-CARNEY I say a word … unless dead people can speak.
DEADLINE So are sure as you’re sitting here, you are not dead.
GLYNN-CARNEY I’m not dead yet.
DEADLINE Let’s back to the day when you shot that epic dragon fight.
GLYNN-CARNEY Well, that day was, in fact, probably about three weeks work, trying to get all these certain angles and these set pieces together. It takes a while to coordinate something like that. And it was great fun. It was a little different. The stuff I had to do previously with the big dialogue, the heavy council scenes and the moments in the pub … that felt more theatrical. And by theatrical, I don’t mean hammy and stuff, I mean being in theater and doing a play. But this [dragon fight] felt very filmic, being strapped into this crane and having this big camera on a long hydraulic arm thrown in your face. There were lots of green screens and gray screens and tennis balls on sticks and wind machines. It was great. It was a big learning curve for me as well, because I’ve never done anything quite as elaborate as that before in terms of CGI work.
DEADLINE What was the takeaway from that? That Aegon doesn’t belong in battle, especially on the back of a dragon?
GLYNN-CARNEY We always knew that he wasn’t the fearless, courageous warrior that a lot of other characters in the show are. His strengths lie elsewhere. And I think he was aware of that. So going into it, he needed to know for himself and to find a coping mechanism to be able to prove to people that he wasn’t weak and he wasn’t useless, that he’d been kindly reminded of by his mother.
DEADLINE Do you think Criston saw what Aemond did to Aegon’s dragon in that fight? That Aemond is to blame?
GLYNN-CARNEY Criston definitely sees Aegon on the ground and Aemond near him with his sword drawn. So he can make his own mind up about Aemond’s intentions, which is still unclear even to me. I’m not sure the story was there. There could be various outcomes.
DEADLINE What has it been like to play somebody who’s so bloody unlikable?
GLYNN-CARNEY So you’re not team Aegon, then? Who wants to be liked? Where’s the fun in that? I think it’s great playing someone like Aegon because he’s so unpredictable. He’s so volatile. He’s not just someone who people don’t like. He’s a tragic case. He’s a complete and utter tragedy of a person, and I feel deeply, deeply sorry for him. And I guess that’s kind of why I’ve wanted to investigate his vulnerabilities, his fragilities and his boyishness, all the things that he lacks in his life that kind of inform his decisions, that have given him a certain reputation. There’s a lot to unpack in him. He’s way more layered and complex than just an unlikable character.
DEADLINE It’s been an interesting journey watching Aegon and Aemond because they’re obviously bad kids, which doesn’t make sense because it’s not like their dad was an awful guy. So where does that badness come from?
GLYNN-CARNEY I dunno. I mean, they’ve got Targaryen blood running through them, so there’s going to be an element of madness somewhere. I think if they had a different upbringing and a different experience of childhood, things may have been different. If they had the treatment that Rhaenyra got, for example, their lives could be different. She was very much the golden child. She came first. She was the one whose picture was on the fridge. So yeah, I think that in many ways they’re a product of their history and their upbringing. But then again, they’re spoiled as well. They’ve never had to work for anything and that can have its effects. That’s probably a question for a psychologist, not for me.
DEADLINE Why does he dislike his brother so much?
GLYNN-CARNEY I don’t think he does.
DEADLINE But he was such a shit to him in that brothel scene.
GLYNN-CARNEY That’s brothers. Aegon was pissed off that for weeks that Aemond has been in the small council and he’d been conniving and plotting with Criston behind his back. That kind of clique-ness and keeping Aegon out of the situation for Aemond’s own self-gain, knowing that Aegon would take over the position of King should he get the opportunity, Aegon needed to bring him down a peg. I don’t think it come from a place of disliking him. It comes from a place of being like, ‘you are my little brother, know your place.’ It’s dismissiveness and also, I’m from Manchester. From where I’m from, there are so many sibling relationships that are completely flawed and fractured. It’s very normal for me. I’m lucky I have a great relationship with my sibling, but it’s very normal and not out of the ordinary at all for you to see two siblings who actively want to hurt each other. It doesn’t come from hatred. That’s just the way people behave.
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