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

Aemond Targaryen in House of the Dragon — (Image credit: HBO)

Aemond Targaryen is one spooky character – from the striking sapphire eye to the giant, bloodthirsty dragon, it's clear this prince is not one to be messed with. It might not come as a huge surprise, then, that he was partly inspired by one of the most famous horror figures of all time.

Ahead of the massive House of the Dragon season 2, episode 4, we spoke to Ewan Mitchell, the actor behind Aemond's eyepatch. Along with diving into that dramatic ending, we also touched on Mitchell's inspirations for playing his fearsome character.

"I purposely didn't watch Game of Thrones because I didn't want it to influence my decisions with Aemond and the choices that I would make with him," Mitchell tells us. "Whether it be consciously or subconsciously, I wanted to very much present a character who was otherworldly. And so I took inspiration from other worlds. I took inspiration from Michael Fassbender's character David in Prometheus, Kirk Douglas in The Vikings, Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, and also '80s horror icons.

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"The idea that no matter how slow Michael Myers walks, he always catches up with Jamie Lee Curtis: that idea of inevitability," he continues. "And it's almost like the image that they convey, it's larger than life. It's like another energy, and I thought there was something super fascinating in exploring that."

But, Mitchell is planning on watching Game of Thrones someday. "Until we wrap up on the story that we want to tell, then I'll check out that story," he says. "But I am looking forward to it, because it is such a cultural zeitgeist."

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

For more from our interview with Mitchell, check out the actor on the dramatic episode 4 ending, what Aemond has in common with Robert De Niro's Heat character, and the rivalry between Aemond and Daemon. You can also read more on House of the Dragon with our deep dives below: