House Of The Dragon star Ewan Mitchell on becoming the terrifying Prince Aemond – then going back to normal life

House Of The Dragon star reveals why he stayed in his character’s toxic, confronting mindset for the entire duration of filming – and how he did it.

Getting into the mindset of a revenge-seeking, dragon-riding prince isn’t easy.

So for Ewan Mitchell, once achieved it’s best to just to stay there – even when filming stops.

The 27-year-old Englishman portrays House Of The Dragon’s Prince Aemond Targaryen – a childhood victim of bullying who has morphed into man consumed by a toxic desire to violently strike down his perceived opponents.

Given the intensity of his role, he likes to “stay in a state of character even when the cameras aren’t rolling”. Mitchell shared the revelation while chatting in New York at a cast event ahead of the show’s second season, where he also gave a glimpse of how he reaches that state: by peeling away “layers” of himself.

‘A moral ambiguity and a darkness’ … Ewan Mitchell as Aemond, with co-star Olivia Cooke. Credit: Binge/HBO.

“Aemond, he possesses such a moral ambiguity and a darkness that isn’t entirely self-made and I feel like it’s my job as an actor to embrace that darkness a little bit,” Mitchell said.

“He operates at such a high frequency and I’m quite a chilled, cool and collected person right?

“So instead of fluctuating between the two, I find this middle ground.”

The process of becoming Aemond Targaryen begins when Mitchell is en route to his filming location.

“From the moment I get in the car I feel that I’m peeling off layers of skin in a sense,” Mitchell said.

‘I’m peeling off layers’ … Ewan Mitchell attends the UK Premiere of House Of The Dragon Season 2 on June 10, 2024 in London.

“From hair and makeup to costume – with each process I’m shedding another layer of myself.

“So when I finally set foot on set and that eyepatch goes on, I feel like Ewan is gone, in a way, and all that’s left is Aemond.”

Mitchell’s intense style and presence shine through in his other roles, such as awkward Michael Gavey in recent movie smash-hit Saltburn and sailor Tom Bennett in wartime drama World On Fire.

And the results of his dedication to the craft speak for themselves in HOTD, with his portrayal of Aemond in Season 2 sure to set spines tingling.

Discussing the character in more detail, he said: “I’d definitely be scared of Aemond but that aside, he is a young man of vision and he recognises that he can do things that no one else can do. He holds the largest singular power, so to speak, with his dragon, Vhagar and he sees that as a call to greatness, a chance to etch his name into the history books for everyone to see – and that’s scary.

‘I can go back to being me’ … Ewan Mitchell as Michael Gavey in Saltburn.

“I remember talking to Ryan (Condal, showrunner) about Aemond even before we started shooting season one and we talked about the legend of Cyclops in Greek mythology and ultimately how he traded one of his eyes to Hades in order to see the day that he would die. What effect would that have on a person, to possess that extreme degree of self-certainty?

“It’s a bit like Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, he can stroll down Fifth Avenue and face off with six armed burglars wielding a hot dog and a .44 Magnum and then, when he’s bearing down over the last guy standing, he comes out with a neat little one liner. And that’s Aemond. He’s shrouded in this bulletproof belief in himself and that belief is scary.”

So it’s little wonder that the devoted thespian says, while he does remove his costume at the end of the day, part of Aemond remains with him for the duration of filming.

‘The things Aemond does’ … Ewan Mitchell in House Of The Dragon Season One.

“I do feel like if I went back to being Ewan at the end of the day and going to bed I might have trouble sleeping just because of the things Aemond does,” Mitchell said.

“What’s really beneficial is that at the end of the shoot I can leave that all behind and go back to being me and I can forget about him.”

House Of The Dragon Season Two premieres on Binge and Foxtel on June 17 and is available via Hubbl.

Originally published as House Of The Dragon star Ewan Mitchell on becoming the terrifying Prince Aemond – then going back to normal life