Diego Peralta
It’s hard to rule over Westeros, but Tom Glynn-Carney makes it look so easy. The young actor portrays King Aegon II in House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones spinoff that has taken over the world by storm over the past couple of years. The character has been through a lot in this series. But even as he continues to get hurt, Aegon will do whatever it takes to keep his place in the Iron Throne.
Tom Glynn-Carney takes his work very seriously. The performer is aware of the responsibility he carries when portraying a character from George R.R. Martin’s creation. Millions of fans constantly tune in to find out what happens next, with the series currently in the middle of producing the third installment of this story. Here are some highlights from the conversation Awards Radar had with Tom Glynn-Carney:
Awards Radar: If you could describe Westeros in three musical instruments, which ones would they be and why?
Tom Glynn-Carney: Three instruments? Wow, okay. Probably the sitar. The sitar or the lute. Just because hearing them puts me in that sort of smoky, incense-filled room. Maybe a church organ, because it’s dramatic and theatrical. And then we’re going to need something that rumbles the floor. Maybe a tuba or a really low tremolo for the double bass. Something that makes the ground rumble.
AR: What was important for you to depict on the screen when it comes to the psychological changes Aegon went through in the second season of House of the Dragon?
TGC: That’s a tough one to answer, I’m just doing my job. Just trying to give everything that the scripts require from me as an actor to take Aegon to the next stage of his story. He’s had so many twists and turns. He’s a gift for an actor to play because he’s so unpredictable. His arc is so varied and personally surprising all the time, as someone who is playing him. I really enjoyed investigating his vulnerability this time. I don’t think we got a lot of that in Season 1.
Season 2 was a real gift to dive into his fragilities, vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Also his self-admission at being mortal and sort of less than a man. Or at least less than the man who he wants to be and the man he has looked up to in the past. Acknowledging his own flaws, which I think it’s the first step to somebody being able to better themselves. As he was going through that journey, he got taken out of the sky, quite literally. He ended up stepping back a step or two. We see him pick it up in Season 3, which I can’t really go into. This whole character arc we’re working on at the moment is very satisfying and unpredictable. It’s tricky and very intricate. It’s hard to put it into words.
AR: What was it like to continue working on Aegon’s relationship with his mother alongside Olivia Cooke, who plays Alicent Hightower?
TGC: Liv’s just the best, I love her. to pieces. Every opportunity we get to share on set with each other is a great day, for me at least. I get to turn in to work feeling very invigorated, inspired and ready to hit the ground running with it. She’s always on it. She invests completely in every scene and every moment she takes Alicent through. For an actor who is a year older than me, also playing my mother. She wears that experience and maternal wisdom so well and convincing. I feel like she could be my mother when we’re on set. That is a testament to her and her brilliance.
AR: What was it like to play such a vulnerable Aegon in Season 2? Compared to Season 1, back when the character felt confident in what he was doing?
TGC: I think he’s always been frail! I don’t think there was ever a part of him that was strong. He might’ve looked strong with a crown on his head, but I think he’s always been fragile. That explains his volatility, defensiveness and how quickly he is to attack. It’s all self-preservation and it comes from insecurity. The acknowledgement of his own downfall. There are some physical changes Aegon went through from the burns and the accident. That only brought forward the weaknesses he already has. It’s now a case of finding how to use those to his advantage. He needs to pave another path for himself to find strength and glory.
AR: What was it like to film Aegon’s fall? Had you worked in sequence filled with such visual effects before?
TGC: Not to that degree. That was a lot of days on the blue screen set where we had the crane and the device where the saddles are on. The camera is on a big crane that’s swinging around your head. From a filmmaking, nerdy perspective, that was a great experience for me just to witness how they do it. It was so clever. All the people sat around the monitors, working on the special effects. It was a lot of fun. It was tricky to ride that dragon with all that armor on.
AR: Is the armor itself hot?
TGC: Yeah! It’s not necessarily the armor. It’s what you wear underneath. You’re pretty much wearing a duvet underneath it. It’s very warm.
AR: What was it like for you to work with Alan Taylor, who was a director in the original Game of Thrones series?
TGC: I loved working with Alan. I had some of my favorite days on set with Alan. He’s one of those directors who trusts his actors. I loved that. It makes the collaborative process really come alive when the directors trust the actors to make their decisions. We would have dialogue. He’d come in with some notes. He’d want to try a different angle. We just had this mutual understanding and respect for each other. It was beneficial to create a positive work environment. Alan is one of the great directors because of that. He’s got such a good eye for detail. He would often let me work to my instincts. I lime working with him.
AR: Is it hard to become Aegon again when coming back to the series after long periods of time?
TGC: Kind of. It’s like any job. You’re forced into being in that space again. It’s almost like we never left. We’re back at it now and it’s the same faces, hair and makeup, costumes, directors and showrunners. It’s a family that was far a part and then everyone’s back together again. It’s really good to be back.
AR: Are you eager to go back to the stage after playing Aegon again?
TGC: Oh, yeah! Absolutely! I love theatre! That’s where I began my quest to become a professional actor. It’s where my love for acting was born. It’s where my story and character was born. For me, it’s a really important part of being an actor. I feel like I get very stale if I don’t do theatre for a while. It keeps me sharp. It makes me feel braver and bolder with my choices when it comes to character development. Without theatre, I think I’d be quite stale as an actor. And that was my one mission. To never be predictable.
Two seasons of House of the Dragon are now available for streaming on Max.
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