TV Shows

House of the Dragon: Halloween’s Michael Myers Was Inspiration for Aemond Targaryen

Ewan Mitchell used Michael Myers’ physicality as an inspiration for Aemond Targaryen.
new-cb-interview.jpg

The second season of House of the Dragon is debuting on HBO next month, and it will see the return of Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen, the son of Queen Alicent Hightower and younger brother of Aegon Targaryen, the newly-appointed king. ComicBook recently had the chance to chat with Mitchell who revealed he’s never watched Game of Thrones. During the chat, he also shared that horror icon Michael Myers served as inspiration for his character. 

“I see Michael Myers from Halloween,” Mitchell said, referring to ComicBook interviewer Chris Killian’s background. “He said some inspiration for Aemond … 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.”

Videos by ComicBook.com

What Is House of the Dragon Season 2 About?

At the end of the first season of House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) was supposed to become the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, having been appointed by her late father, King Viserys (Paddy Constantine). Unfortunately, things go awry when Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) crowns her son, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) as the new king instead. The season ends with one of Alicent’s sons killing one of Rhaenyra’s sons, essentially igniting a war that is expected to bloom in the second season. While speaking about House of the Dragon Season 2, showrunner Ryan Condal addressed the work being done on the new episodes…

“I’m excited to pick up where we left off,” Condal said (per Deadline). “Now we get to fall into the more traditional rhythms of storytelling and Game of Thrones. We’ve always talked about this particular tale, George [R.R. Martin] has too, of being a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy. This series is very much about a house tearing itself apart from within. Now that all those pieces have been set on the board, I’m really excited to tell the next chapter, to see what happens now that Viserys is gone and no longer keeping a lid on things.”

Back in December, author George R.R. Martin teased that they’re already working on the third and fourth seasons of House of the Dragon. Martin is known for writing the books Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are based on, and he’s been hands-on when it comes to the onscreen adaptions. The author took to his blog and shared some updates about the franchise. 

House of the Dragon returns June 16th.