Tom Glynn-Carney in “House of the Dragon”.
Ollie Upton/HBO
Note: The following contains mild spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 5.
King Aegon II Targaryen has survived. But his appearance is not in the best shape. Bedridden and in pain, the impulsive and insecure despot paid a high price for recklessly sending Sunfyre into battle at Rook’s Rest in last week’s episode of The Dragon House. While actor Tom Glynn-Carney didn’t have much dialogue in the fifth episode of Season 2 (in fact, he only had one word, yelling at his mother), thankfully, Glynn-Carney had plenty of thoughts as he lay there, beneath his prosthetic injuries. Below, the 29-year-old English actor answers some of our burning (burning?) questions.
What was your reaction when you first heard about this horrific turn of events?
I knew it was coming. When it happened, I didn’t realize it. But my immediate reaction was how well it had been done by our incredible writers with this kind of incredible, theatrical, exciting, terrifying, unpredictable craftsmanship that I was very happy to be the beneficiary of.
Thinking back to episode four first, even though it seemed pretty obvious to the viewer, I wonder what was going through Aegon’s mind when he mounted Sunfyre and rode into battle?
He had kind of gotten stuck in a place where all the things that had built up over time as king, where his worst fears and insecurities had become evident and realized. He felt weak, and he was seen as weak, and kind of useless – with what Alicent (Olivia Cooke) had said to him (“Don’t do anything”) in her room, that was the last straw. And he was just resigned to, “I have no choice, I have to prove myself somehow.” But you know, being who he is, and not being a true warrior with that kind of fearless courage that other people have, he had to numb himself and so he got drunk and jumped on a dragon.
How do you think he felt about Aemond (Ewan Mitchell)) A betrayal? That seemed obvious? I wondered if Aegon was really surprised…
I think the moment of recognition was the fact that the fireball was coming towards her. I don’t think he had time to think that he did it on purpose. If those thoughts are going to come to him, they’ll probably come later. As a viewer, I’m still not sure. I want people to make up their own minds.
Arguably, since the battle, disastrous as it was, was ultimately won, he was the one who saved the day? Aegon the hero? Or not.
We have to take them where we can find them. Yes, he is a hero.
What does the prosthetic process look like for you in the future?
Long. Very detailed. I got to know my amazing hair and makeup team very well. I also got to know myself very well.
How do you mean?
The time I spent in that chair with those people in my thoughts… But yeah, (the prosthetics) really influence and inform my performance. They kind of teach me how to move now. The way you breathe, the way you talk changes. I have a piece in my mouth that I asked for to kind of distort my speech. So all of that is great because it makes me feel like we’ve made a change. Aegon had to change after that. We’re going to find a difference in him and allow that to continue and (influence) his decisions and have a new approach to life.
You mentioned changing the way he moved. In a previous interview, you mentioned that Aegon used to move differently than you. What was that difference?
It’s a little more arched. It’s a little narrower. I find it a little weak and more tortuous.
Is it weirdly more fun to play it now? Because it’ll be a lot more theatrical, in a way?.
Yeah! It feels like we’ve gone from Richard II to Richard III, if that makes sense to you. It’s almost like a higher level, even though on paper it’s obviously a lower level. I think what he loses physically, he gains emotionally and mentally. I try to look at it that way.
There is obviously a parallel with the way Viserys (Paddy Considine) was at the end, crippled and macabre. Did this influence your process?
I mean, it’s just full of danger, isn’t it? Having a crown on your head. Something bad is going to happen to you at some point. Isn’t it the fact that I don’t have my crown yet? There’s definitely a Viserys Comparison, especially towards his last days and in bed. No quality of life. It took a few weeks, a few months, before his father found himself in the same position and in the same bed.
Let’s just say his fate wasn’t written literally. What would you ideally want for your Aegon’s fate?
I would like that in an ideal world there would be an opportunity to prove oneself and make decisions that he He did this, not someone else who thinks they know better. He has to chart his own course as king. And then see if he makes mistakes as big as people think. I would like to give him space and time to figure it out. That is a dangerous request because they could go terribly wrong. I think people underestimate him.
I found it interesting that no one sat at his bedside, held his hand, or tried to comfort him in any way. — at least not in this episode. This sounds pretty harsh.
It’s desperately, desperately sad. Aegon is a boy in a man’s body and all he’s ever wanted is to be loved and seen and not judged. All these things he’s done in the past that have given him a reputation, I think he felt that any attention was good attention. Unfortunately, he’s made a name for himself now, people kind of want to keep their distance and see him as a poisoned chalice. Ultimately, he’s a product of his history. He didn’t have the emotional intelligence to be able to deal with it in a healthy way and move forward. Therapy didn’t really exist back then, right? He was left to his own devices.
And finally, there’s a moment earlier in the season where Aegon first hears the petitions of the commoners in the throne room. And Aegon’s instinct is to say, “Oh, okay, let’s just give them what they want.” Even though it’s not practical. I found that interesting. People often compare Aegon to Joffrey, but this was probably the most opposite moment from Joffrey, whose instinct would have been, at best, “Why are you asking me this? Go away.” What part of Aegon was that?
Whether he tries to do good things for the sake of doing good things or because he wants to seen Doing good things is quite different. He definitely wants to try to be different. I would like to think that if he had a different upbringing than Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), then maybe he would be different. She was always the one with her school picture in the frame on the fridge. And Aegon and Aemond were always in the drawer. We’re still figuring it out. I don’t think I’ll ever completely crack him. But I think that’s kind of the point. I don’t think he’s cracked himself either.