Game of Thrones was once the biggest TV show in the world — but one House of the Dragon star has never watched it, and he has a great reason.
Before David Benioff and D.B. Weiss nuked its place in the zeitgeist with a disastrously received final season,Game of Throneswas a television titan that reshaped pop culture in ways it’s easy to forget (“My sweet summer child” wasn’t a common phrase before the series).
WithHouse of the Dragon Season 2premiering this week, one actor has confessed to having never seen the original show: Ewan Mitchell, who plays Aemond Targaryen.
“I haven’t seen the original Game of Thrones. I have a confession to make. I’ve never seen it and I didn’t want to watch it going into this role,” hetoldComic Book.
“I didn’t want it to inform my decisions in any way, shape, or form, you know, whether it be consciously or subconsciously. I wanted to bring something fresh. Aemond is one of a kind, you know.”
For those who don’t know, Aemond is the vengeful, one-eyed prince that kicked off the Dance of the Dragons in theHouse of the Dragon Season 1finale.
He pursued Lucerys from Storm’s End, tormenting him with Vhagar. But, as Viserys warned, the belief that dragons can be controlled by man is laughably naive, and it quickly goesverywrong.
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In the same interview, Mitchell explained how he sought inspiration outside George R.R. Martin’s source material. He revealed how one slasher villain inspired his performance: Halloween’s Michael Myers.
“Just through his physicality, you know, no matter how slow he walks, he always catches up with Jamie Lee Curtis. You know, he doesn’t have to say much. He’s just super scary. The way he inhabits space was something that I used with Aemond for sure,” he said.
As well as House of the Dragon, you can find othernew TV shows streamingin June, and check out our breakdown of theTargaryen kingsand some particularly wildfan fiction.
Cameron Frew is Deputy TV & Movies Editor on Dexerto’s UK team. He’s an action movie aficionado, ’80s obsessive, and Oscars enthusiast. He loves Invincible, but he’s also a fan of The Boys, the MCU, The Chosen, and much more. He has previously written for LadBible, UniLad, and Flickering Myth. You can contact him at: cameron.frew@dexerto.com.
