House of the Dragon star Ewan Mitchell explains how Michael Myers inspired Aemond Targaryen

Aemond Targaryen is a terrifying character: from his striking sapphire eye to his giant bloodthirsty dragon, it’s clear that this prince is not one to be trifled with. So it’s no surprise that he was partly inspired by one of the most famous horror characters of all time.

Ahead of the airing of House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 4, we spoke to Ewan Mitchell, the actor behind Aemond’s eyepatch. In addition to delving into that dramatic ending, we also discussed Mitchell’s inspirations for his fearsome character.

“I deliberately chose not to watch Game of Thrones because I didn’t want it to influence my decisions with Aemond and the choices I would make with him,” Mitchell tells us. “Whether consciously or subconsciously, I really wanted to present a character that was otherworldly. So I drew inspiration from other worlds. I drew inspiration from Michael Fassbender’s character David in Prometheus, Kirk Douglas in The Vikings, Peter O’Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, and also horror icons from the ’80s.”

“The idea that no matter how slow Michael Myers walks, he always catches up to Jamie Lee Curtis: this idea of inevitability,” he continues. “And it’s almost like the image that they’re portraying, it’s larger than life. It’s like a different energy, and I thought there was something super fascinating about exploring that.”

But Mitchell intends to watch Game of Thrones someday. “Until we finish the story we want to tell, I’ll watch that story,” he says. “But I’m looking forward to it, because it’s a real cultural zeitgeist.”

House of the Dragon Season 2 airs weekly on Sky Atlantic and the NOW streaming service in the UK and HBO in the US.

For more from our interview with Mitchell, check out the actor on the dramatic end of episode 4What Aemond has in common with Robert De Niro’s Heat characterand the rivalry between Aemond and Daemon. You can also learn more about House of the Dragon with our deep dives below: