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Spoilers for House of the Dragon episode 9 below!
House of the Dragon star, Tom Glynn-Carney, recently addressed Aegon II Targaryen’s comparisons to Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones. HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series has received nothing but praise for its riveting storytelling and compelling cast performances since its premiere and its penultimate episode is no exception. Set nearly 200 years before the destruction of the Iron Throne, House of the Dragon centers on the House Targaryen as they are split apart following King Viserys I Targaryen’s (Paddy Considine) decision to name his eldest daughter as his heir. Deeming the decision an affront to the realm’s time-honored patriarchal tradition, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and members of the Small Council conspired to Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) the rightful ruler of Westeros.
However, Aegon does not wish to rule, instead, he would rather drink and spend his nights in the bowels of King’s Landing. Already a rapist and father to multiple children outside the Red Keep, comparisons have been made to Game of Thrones‘ King Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) and his renowned vile nature. Joffrey, the young short-tempered spoiled ruler, frequently abused his power, executing Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) against his mother’s wishes and using Ros (Esmé Bianco) as target practice for his crossbow.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Glynn-Carney addressed House of the Dragon‘s Aegon comparisons to Game of Thrones‘ Joffrey. The actor admitted Aegon is similar to Joffrey, but adding that the new king is not a clear “psychopath.” Glynn-Carney explained that Aegon has issues rooted in his privilege and the fact that his own father never wanted him to rule at all. Read what the actor had to say below.
“Ryan [Condal] and Miguel [Sapochnik] said if we could make any comparisons to [Thrones characters], that he’s the closest to Joffrey. However, he is not an out-and-out psychopath. He’s much more complex. His decisions are due to insecurities and confusion and rage. He’s just bitterly confused and mentally unwell.”
“As much of a nightmare as Aegon is and how he plays against any form of rules and discipline, he’s pretty defenseless. He’s so reliant on alcohol that he’s a confused, tangled mess of a man who doesn’t yet know himself. He’s incapable of making decisions that aid him. His entire life, he’s relied on people around him to make sure he’s doing the right thing. But he makes awful decisions, and now those decisions are going to be made on a mass scale.”
“He’s grown up with the idea that he doesn’t want power. And his father didn’t want him to have it. So there’s that resentment, as well. He’s a very selfish person because he wants to escape. I think if he was a modern-day person, he’d leave his family and go traveling around Australia and grow some dreadlocks.”
Will Aegon Be A Better Ruler Than Joffrey?
Although Aegon has already abused his power, the king’s actions appear more self-loathing than anything. Clearly an alcoholic, Aegon yearns for his family’s love as he feels like he has been neglected by his own father in favor of his older sister, Rhaenyra. With his family finally supporting him completely, and showing deference to him after being crowned the new king, Aegon may finally feel the love he has always wanted, and reciprocate the sentiment to his people.
Although Aegon had no inclination to rule leading up to his coronation day, the adoration from his subjects after he had been crowned seemingly caused the young king to embrace his new responsibilities. However, due to the neglect of his duties and lack of care for his future role, Aegon is unprepared to rule the Seven Kingdoms, teasing his character’s “awful” leadership in upcoming episodes. With the war all but guaranteed, thanks to his father’s machinations, Aegon will likely make several decisions that will cost the lives of those he has sworn to protect as House of the Dragon season 1 concludes next week.
Source: THR
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