If you thought “Game of Thrones” pushed the boundaries, “House of the Dragon” is proving to be just as unrestrained, especially if we’re discussing the scene involving Aemond. Yes, that scene. It’s the talk of the town following the third episode of the second season, where Prince Aemond leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination in a King’s Landing brothel, only to be stumbled upon by King Aegon.
The moment marks the show’s first full-frontal nude scene, showcasing a side of Aemond that goes beyond mere exposure—it highlights his vulnerability and emotional turmoil, culminating in him leaving the room stark naked. The audience saw it all, and notably, actor Ewan Mitchell embraced the challenge without any use of prosthetics.
In a revealing discussion with Variety, “House of the Dragon” director Geeta Patel shared insights into Mitchell’s commitment to the scene. Patel explained, “Ewan is such a great actor. He understands what he needs to do in order to portray Aemond.” Initially, they agreed that nudity would only be included if it felt right for the story. Patel noted, “When I spoke with him originally about the nudity, I said to him, ‘Let’s just go through the story. If you don’t feel comfortable being nude, then you’re not going to be nude.’ We were both on the same page in that way.”
Patel elaborated, “[The scene is] one of the few times you see the young child in him and you see the pain in him. Slowly he starts putting on his armor and when he stands up, the fact that he doesn’t care that you see his penis is such a strong visceral shift.”
Mitchell himself was deeply involved in the decision-making process. Speaking to Vulture, he said, “It wasn’t a choice we made lightly,” emphasizing that the nudity was essential to portray Aemond’s character authentically. “But it’s true to Aemond that he shocks the audience. Weakness is not part of Aemond’s vocabulary.”
The scene not only depicted Aemond’s humiliation at the hands of his brother and his comrades but also his resilience. Mitchell described the moment in the brothel as ‘a rare glimpse of [Aemond’s] vulnerability,’ adding, “He’s humiliated by his brother and all his crew, and it’s like this switch flips. The madam is no more. All of these people in front of him? They mean nothing.”
He concluded, “He stands up, he owns it. ‘Yeah, I’m bulletproof. Anything you say, it will not work’.”
Catch this and more on “House of the Dragon” streaming on HBO Max.