\n<\/p>\n
What was your experience like shooting the big dragon fight scene?<\/strong><\/p>\n Cool, man. It\u2019s kind of a little boy\u2019s dream. It\u2019s just something that you think of when you\u2019re a child as being the coolest thing in the world. And it really was. They basically build a screen around you so you know where to look: what\u2019s expected, what\u2019s coming at you, what\u2019s leaving you. Your entire perspective is quite clear. And then amongst that, you\u2019re clad in all this armor that has been expertly crafted by some amazing workmanship. But then again, you\u2019re crouched over this big saddle, strapped in, feeling like you can\u2019t move. That crane has really got a lot of work to do to make it look like you\u2019re moving.<\/p>\n At the beginning of the season, Aegon says that Aemond is his closest confidant, and by episode four, Aemond has basically tried to kill him. Where do they stand now? And what\u2019s your relationship with Ewan Mitchell, who plays Aemond?<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh, Aegon and Aemond\u2019s relationship is very different to Tom and Ewan\u2019s relationship. Let\u2019s put that out there [laughs<\/em>].<\/p>\n Look, that is sibling rivalry on a very intense scale, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s the flip of the switch that can happen when somebody feels pushed out or somebody feels like there\u2019s been injustice. I always felt like Aemond saw himself being in that position of power and dealing with it better than Aegon would deal with it. But then again, his birth certificate states otherwise. It was bound to happen at some point, wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n Was there a particular scene that you felt extra challenged by or invigorated by?<\/strong><\/p>\n He\u2019s never in the same frame of mind twice in one day. He\u2019s all over the place. Keeping up with his erratic mood swings was the hard part, and was this thing that I was having to stay really focused on. There wasn\u2019t particularly one scene that I thought, Oh God, not this one, because all of them are challenging in different ways. Even the ones where he\u2019s still and more focused are difficult, because you\u2019ve got that sort of inner Aegon rhythm that is rapid. It\u2019s very different to mine. It\u2019s maintaining that, but still keeping the tension of the scene. I relished the opportunity to play someone with such range and creative potential from an acting point of view.<\/p>\n Olivia Cooke, who plays Alicent, has noted that you two are not very far apart in age at all, and yet are playing mother and son. How did you guys work together to create that filial dynamic?<\/strong><\/p>\n Every scene that I\u2019ve had with Olivia, there is never a moment that isn\u2019t filled. Everything is just so complex and deeply entrenched in her. She means everything she says. It\u2019s a rare skill to have. As an actor, she has that in truckloads. It\u2019s a gift to be able to work with her, to play her son.<\/p>\n Yeah, [it\u2019s] hilarious. She\u2019s only a year older than me. I think we manage it because we get on so well. We\u2019re pals as well, you know. I love Olivia to bits. Trust her wholeheartedly. We have a laugh. We don\u2019t take it too seriously. We have common ground on that. But then in the moments where the work is happening, it\u2019s all we care about. We care immensely. It\u2019s one of those things where in the downtime, after we wrap, we can go for a drink. We can have a laugh. We connect on a personal level as well as a professional level. I think that\u2019s what sort of breeds a healthy and believable performance thing relationship-wise.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an amusing scene where Aegon is sitting around with the lads and talking about what his sobriquet should be. Should he be \u201cAegon the Brave,\u201d \u201cAegon the Whatever,\u201d etc. What do you think he should be called?<\/strong><\/p>\n Aegon Toast, probably.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n