‘I haven’t seen Game of Thrones’: Evan Mitchell is Emond Targaryen, the charismatic ‘villain’ from House of Dragons

It is both disturbing and fascinating. And his black eye is as piercing as the sapphire that adorns his empty eye socket. Aemond Targaryen, the second son of King Viserys and Alycent Hightower, is one of the main characters of “Dance of Dragons” and the internal struggle that will shake Westeros in the house of the dragon. On the day that Season 2 premiered on Max, AlloCiné met her translator, British actor Evan Mitchell, who has quickly become a fan favorite in the Game of Thrones prequel series.

AlloCiné: So you haven’t seen Game of Thrones. why

Evan Mitchell (Eammond Targaryen): No, I haven’t seen Game of Thrones. Because I didn’t watch the show until our first season—and I still haven’t—is that I want to introduce a character that’s almost otherworldly. It’s from Westeros, of course, but I don’t want Game of Thrones to inform my decisions in one way or another, knowingly or unknowingly. For the character, I wanted to draw inspiration from television, film and other aspects of pop culture, because Emond is so different, even in this world. This appearance, this ego he has created for himself, is larger than life. This is why I wanted to break away from Game of Thrones. isn’t it serious

You are welcome ! And it works because your character is a fan favorite while also being quite dangerous and disturbing. How do you explain this?

One of the things I really missed while reading the scripts for the first season was seeing this carefree young boy who was bullied and treated differently than the rest of the kids. He was not given a dragon egg. It is called Aemond the Dragon in the book. He was different and therefore bullied for being different. This set him back.

And then elsewhere in Westeros, you have the dragon Vagar, the oldest and worst monster. He was named after the ancient Valyrian god of war. He is the most ruthless survivor of over a hundred battles. And it is so big that it cannot fit within the confines of the castle wall. So he kind of looks like Emond, while he doesn’t fit anywhere either. And he identifies with it.

As I read it, I thought there was something really interesting about this idea of ​​a ten-year-old facing adversity and coming out ahead. A history of the challenge, so to speak. And maybe that’s what resonates with viewers. This is certainly one of Emond’s redeeming qualities, and his entire journey is there. Exploring that and taking that into account in Season 2 is really important.

Exactly in these 2 seasons, what can you tell us about Emond without spoiling it?

I think one of the exciting things about season two is that we’re going to see that and a lot of other sides. We’re going to explore what’s going on underneath it all, this facade that he’s been working on for so long to never get hurt like he did as a kid. It is a defense mechanism and it ultimately comes from an element of vulnerability. Studying that and deconstructing it is definitely one of the best parts of the job.

This facade of Emond is also expressed in his appearance and eye patch. How do you view this accessory? Does limiting your vision this way change the game?

The eyepatch is my favorite accessory for everything it represents, the tragedy it carries. This is completely Emond. It again places the gem in its orbit. It’s terrible! This comes from my wonderful collaboration with Amanda Knight, our hair and makeup artist, and Caroline McCall, our costume designer. Their combined work really encourages you to let go of who you are. And so when this eye patch is on, it’s a piece of cake for me. If that makes sense. Costume, wig, make-up, it’s one. But when I put this eye patch on, I disappear and Emond is there. I really see the world from a different angle.

In your approach to the character, do you ‘switch’ between takes or do you stay in Emmond’s shoes throughout the shoot?

Emond has such moral ambiguity, we don’t really know what he’s thinking, he carries such darkness inside himself. I think my work as an actor should adapt a little to this. Also, during filming, when the cameras were not rolling, I stayed in the character’s state of mind. Although he is smiling on the outside, he is not really happy on the inside. And that’s what I wanted to keep. However, after some very heavy scenes, there have to be moments of levity just to balance it out.

What is it like to ride on the back of a dragon? Will you find yourself like Harry Potter on his broomstick, lost in a huge crowd with a green background?

For Season 1, when we shot the scene in Shipwreck Bay where Emond is chasing the children of Rhaenyra on the dragon’s back, we used this 360-degree technology made famous by The Mandalorian. This is called volume. This technology uses a video game engine that projects the world around you. So as an actor it gives you something to react to. You see the mountains, you see the sun shining through the clouds. And when you combine that with a wind machine, a rain machine, and this mechanical rodeo, it really is an escape. You can’t help but run into this world. This is probably the closest thing to riding a dragon in real life! I feel we should all try it because it is simply amazing. Sure, there are a few moments where we use green screen, but HBO always tries to immerse you as much as possible. And I really appreciate it.

This season’s Marketing 2 pits #TeamGreen against #TeamBlack . Do you sometimes tell yourself that #TeamBlack is right or do you stay true to your allegiance to the Greens?

I remain faithful to my oath, because it is faithfulness. (smile) However, I believe there is good and bad on both sides. But if Rhaenyra were to sit on the Iron Throne, the demon would probably be called the Hand of the Queen. We saw what he did with the Golden Cloaks in season one… he can abuse his power and so from my character’s point of view, it’s a fight for survival because he knows that if that happened, the demon would want him. . But it won’t happen. Oh no!

The comments were collected in Paris on Friday, June 7, 2024

House of the Dragon season 2 episodes can be seen every Monday exclusively on the new streaming platform Max