There are probably a lot of good and bad things about working with your heroes, but I think it’s especially strange to be acting alongside actors you’ve watched since you were a kid.
For the young stars of HBO’s House of the Dragon, Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemon Targaryen alongside Matt Smith as the Prince/King (depending on who you ask), Daemon Targaryen must have been completely unrealistic. Smith played the 11th Doctor in the beloved British sci-fi series Doctor Who from 2010 to 2014, meaning he was pretty much a constant presence in pop culture for the mostly British cast. To keep the kind, funny Doctor from popping into his head while working with Smith, Mitchell decided to try something a little different: method acting, getting into the role as much as possible but in a way that was considerate to all involved… maybe even teaching Jared Leto a lesson or two.
To really anchor his character’s reaction to his uncle Damon, Mitchell wanted to avoid making eye contact with Smith when they were “out of character,” at least until their first appearance in front of the camera. VarietyMitchell explained why and how he avoided eye contact with Smith — and honestly, how? — and it made for an incredibly tense moment, helping to establish the unique animosity between their characters that would become their most intense rivalry by the series’ end.
Not looking Smith in the eye was an acting tactic.
In an interview, Mitchell explained that as a kid he was a big Doctor Who fan and would “dream about going on adventures” with Smith’s Doctor, “which is very similar to how Aemond dreams about going on adventures with his idol.” He liked the idea of keeping Smith and Damon separate until they met in front of the cameras, and he brought it up to showrunner Ryan Condal, who got Smith’s approval (presumably through a messenger raven or a trained intern or something). It led to the perfect moment when Damon and Aemon finally come face to face.
“I wanted to save that eye contact for a special moment in Season 1, when the characters finally meet at the banquet. There was pure electricity in the room for that moment. Only Damon was in the picture, Matt wasn’t in the picture. If we can maintain the same relationship off set that the characters have on set, it will be a huge payoff.”
Daemon and Aemond are actually very similar: both prone to wandering dark castles in deep brooding or rage, and both want the Iron Throne more than their brother who actually holds it. It’s truly tragic to see the two locked in a desperate, life-or-death battle, given that they have so much to learn from each other… but just imagine what it would mean for Westeros if they joined forces to take control. it is scared.
Marginal methods of maintenance
The thing about Aemond and Damon is that they’re really awful people. Aemond is basically a cartoon villain, and Damon is famous for killing people and marrying their nieces, so adding in some method acting or trying to stay “in character” for any length of time would be pretty tough for either actor. (Especially since Mitchell and Smith both seem like decent people in interviews!) There are lots of ways to delve deep into a character’s mindset without overdoing it with method acting, and Mitchell seems to have found the perfect balance, which is a good thing, because no one would put up with Aemond Targaryen for long in real life!
Although Amon and Damon are both pretty monstrous characters, they’re also two of the most fun characters to watch in House of the Dragon. They bring a bit of much-needed camp to the show when it gets too depressing. While the writing is a credit to that, it’s the fantastic acting from Mitchell and Smith that makes these evil princes so entertaining.
