House of the Dragon returned with a bang on Sunday, June 21st, with a scene that’s sure to have everyone talking.
During a tense exchange with her mother Alicent Hightower (played by Olivia Cooke) in the Season 3 premiere, Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen, played by Ewan Mitchell, shocked viewers and her mother by kissing her on the lips.
Ms Mitchell, 29, said she felt “a little bit like I wanted to throw up in my mouth”.
“Yeah, it’s a bit of a shock, but at the same time I found it a tremendous challenge and an opportunity to show Aemond in a new light,” the British actor told People in an interview published Sunday.
“That’s a pretty hard pill to swallow, right? Especially kissing your mother on the lips that way,” he explained. “In other words, Aemond never felt fully loved by his mother or other family members growing up. Children need unconditional love in order to develop a balanced view of themselves, and Aemond never got that, so he has a very distorted perception and a very strange way of expressing love.”
“I think what you see in that scene in the first episode is that twisted love,” he added.
Meanwhile, director Cook said filming this scene was difficult.
“I think it was pretty weird for both of us,” the actress said. “Unbeknownst to Aristo, there was an Oedipal undercurrent, and I think that’s shocking.”
There’s also the small issue of Aemond being something of a psychopath. After all, he burned his brother Aegon (played by Tom Glynn-Carney) half to death in season two.
Mr Cook, 32, said the kiss was “really dangerous” to Aristo because he is a very dangerous person.
“She knows that one wrong look, one negative reaction could cost her life. So she’s trying to be very careful. But I think in that moment, she’s kind of stunned,” she shared.
Despite having to kiss her on-screen mother, Mitchell praised her scene partner.
“Working with Liv Cooke in that scene was just… working with Liv Cooke in any scene was a master class. Yeah, she’s the real deal,” he exclaimed.
Of course, fans of House of the Dragon and its predecessor Game of Thrones aren’t used to shocking incest scenes. As it turns out, Aemond’s brother Aegon is married to his sister Heraena (Fia Saban). Season 1 also featured a taboo romance between Rhaenyra Targaryen (played by Milly Alcock and Emma Darcy) and her paternal uncle Damon (Matt Smith).
House of the Dragon Season 3 airs Sundays on HBO and is available to stream on HBO Max.
