House of the Dragon’s Ewan Mitchell Breaks Silence on ‘Shocking’ Nude Scene

Ewan Mitchell explained the creative process behind his nude scene on House of the Dragon.

The British actor, who plays Aemond Targaryen, made his full-face debut in the series finale Game Of Thrones spin-off, a decision he said was “not taken lightly.”

In an interview with Vulture, Mitchell said the scene was “true” to his character, “shocked the audience,” adding that “weakness is not in Aemond’s vocabulary.”

“Aegon catches Aemond in a vulnerable situation. When I first read the script and saw the brothel scenes in episodes two and three, I saw a great opportunity to offer a rare glimpse of his vulnerability,” he explained.

“We only see him in his black Targaryen outfit, so to see him in this world – not only that but also humiliated by his brother – is quite shocking.”

Talk with Variety, Director Geeta Patel praised Mitchell and assured readers that he was comfortable with the scene.

“Ewan is a terrific actor. He knows what he has to do to play Aemond,” she said.

“When I first talked to him about nudity, I said, ‘Let’s go over the story. If you’re not comfortable being naked, then you’re not going to be.’ We were both on the same page.”

Patel went on to explain why Aemond’s head-on moment was important to his story, saying it went from “someone vulnerable to literally watching him put on his armor.”

“It’s one of the few times you see the young child in him and the pain that’s inside him. Slowly he starts to put on his armor and when he stands up, the fact that he doesn’t care that you see his penis is a very powerful visceral change,” she said.

Patel later confirmed that Mitchell had insisted on not wearing prosthetics: “Ewan said to me, ‘I want to be completely naked in that moment. It’s important to me because that’s what my character is. That’s what he would do.’ And that’s what we did.”

The second season of The Dragon House sees the return of Emma D’Arcy (Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen), Olivia Cooke (Queen Alicent Hightower), Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen), Rhys Ifans (Ser Otto Hightower), Steve Toussaint (Lord Corlys Velaryon), Eve Best (Princess Rhaenys Targaryen) and Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria).

Other stars arriving include Fabien Frankel (Ser Criston Cole), Matthew Needham (Lord Larys Strong), Harry Collett (Prince Jacaerys Velaryon), Tom Glynn-Carney (King Aegon II Targaryen), Phia Saban (Queen Helaena Targaryen), Bethany Antonia (Lady Baela Targaryen) and Phoebe Campbell (Lady Rhaena Targaryen).

The official synopsis for season 2 reads: “As Westeros teeters on the brink of a bloody civil war with the Green and Black Councils fighting for King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra respectively, viewers will see the home that dragons built and learn how they destroyed it all.”

Traveling with GAY TIMED’Arcy and Cooke reflected on the themes of season two — including “grief, disempowerment and potential civil war” — while the former reflected on the importance of being a non-binary protagonist in one of television’s most championed franchises.

“Being a gender non-conforming person on screen is a real privilege, because when I was younger, I thought if I could act, it would be very different from my identity, and maybe they would stay separate,” D’Arcy explained.

“I didn’t know if it would be possible for these two elements to overlap and dialogue with each other.”

The Dragon House is broadcast in the UK on Sky Atlantic.

You can watch our interview with Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke below.