Ewan Mitchell won't watch or read 'Game of Thrones' until his time on 'House of the Dragon' is over.
Ewan Mitchell in House of the Dragon
The 27-year-old actor portrays Prince Aemond Targayen in the spin-off prequel series, which is based on George R.R. Martin's book 'Fire and Blood', and was determined not to have his performance impacted by the original fantasy drama series or the novels it was adapted from.
He told The Times newspaper's Saturday Review: “I didn’t want it to influence me whether it be subconsciously or consciously... I’ll get around to watching it.”
To get into character, Ewan has listened to Metallica and Slipknot.
He noted: “Aemond’s straight out of heavy metal."
And the actor often keeps on his character's eyepatch in between takes “because over the course of a couple of hours you develop a headache”, which he feels has helped with his performance.
He explained: "[It helps to suggest] a volcano that’s boiling underneath the surface”.
Showrunner Ryan Condal has been taken aback by the 'Salburn' actor's intensity on camera.
Ewan said: “I sometimes forget to blink. I need to just chill out a little bit.”
And his inspirations for the role include Michael Fassbender's android in 'Prometheus', Kirk Douglas' swashbuckler in 'The Vikings' and horror villains such as 'Halloween's Michael Myers.
He said: “That’s the message that Aemond wants to give off: that he has you in his sights and you won’t be able to escape him."
The show has seemed to be setting up for a brutal confrontation between Aemond and his uncle, Prince Daemon Targaryen, who is played by Matt Smith, and Ewan suggested he and the former 'Doctor Who' star should stay avoid one another on set as a result.
He said: “In the same way that Aemond keeps Daemon on that podium, I wanted to keep Matt Smith on that podium.
“Our stories are very much contained and we shot in different studio spaces, so we never really brushed shoulders.”
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