In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Finn Bennett, who plays Prince Aerion “Brightflame” Targaryen in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, gave a candid and revealing answer. He was asked to place his character on a “Targaryen madness” scale. The scale was simple: 0 = Daenerys Targaryen (comparatively sane, visionary, but capable of extreme acts) and
10 = Daemon Targaryen (the Rogue Prince, chaotic, violent, and unhinged in his pursuit of power and thrill)
Bennett didn’t hesitate. He said,
“I’ll go with 9. That is Daemon right?”
Placing Aerion just one step below Daemon puts the character firmly in the upper ranks of Targaryen instability. This rating aligns with the book description of Aerion as arrogant, cruel, impulsive, and dangerously obsessed with his own superiority and dragon heritage.
Quick read:
- Finn Bennett was posed with 0-10 (Daenerys to Daemon) Targaryen madness scale
- He deems Aerion to be nearly as cruel as Daemon
- He empathised with the character himself to understand his notions better
Credits: HBO
The real challenge: Understanding the cruelty
But Finn Bennett didn’t stop at the number. He shared what fascinated him most about bringing Aerion to life:
“The more interesting thing for me was trying to find how to empathize with him. What makes violence and cruelty so attractive to him… and trying to ask those questions to myself. Yeah, that was very interesting.”
Rather than playing Aerion as a cartoonish villain, Bennett approached the role by exploring the internal logic behind the character’s brutality. He asked himself questions like: Why does cruelty feel rewarding? What insecurities or desires fuel the violence? What does it say about someone who finds power and pleasure in inflicting pain? Those questions turned the performance into a deeper portrayal.
Aerion isn’t just chaotic for chaos’s sake; there’s a twisted attraction to dominance and spectacle that Bennett wanted to understand and portray honestly. Aerion is one of the most volatile Targaryens in the early timeline; known for burning people alive, threatening his own family, and believing he’s destined for greatness.
Finn Bennett’s near-max score confirms the show didn’t try to soften the character. At the same time, his focus on empathy and self-reflection adds nuance. It shows the actor isn’t just delivering a “mad prince” trope, he’s digging into what makes someone like Aerion tick, making the cruelty feel real and human.
