James Norton, who is set to play Ormund Hightower in House of the Dragon Season 3, has given an honest take on the physical demands of wearing medieval-style armour on set, and concluded that he would not have wanted to be a real medieval knight.
Quick read:
- James Norton wouldn’t have liked being a medieval knight due to the physical toll of the armour
- He praised the production team’s efforts of making the props as lightweight as possible
- He calls his HOTD experience as “mad”
In a podcast with Men’s Health UK, Norton described the experience of filming fight sequences in heavy armour as brutal, even with modern modifications:
“Doing those fight sequences with that level of armour on is brutal… They do everything they can to make sure everything which would have been like heavy steel is made into very plastic or aluminium, something which is light. Even when we got everything as stripped down and as light as possible, it is still so heavy on your lower back.”
The armor design in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ is truly incredible.
Which is your favourite? pic.twitter.com/5ZgIxyuS89
— westerosies (@westerosies) February 10, 2026
Add WoT as a preferred source on Google.
The daily physical toll
Norton explained that the armour takes a serious toll on the body, especially during long days on set:
“You’re just wandering around, standing around on a hot set all day, but then having to do these fight sequences over and over… it’s brutal, man.”
He even mentioned turning to pilates to help manage the strain caused by the constant weight and repetitive movements.
I would not have liked to have been a medieval knight
His final verdict was clear and humorous:
“I would not have liked to have been a medieval knight.”
Despite the physical challenges, Norton has spoken positively about the overall experience of joining the Game of Thrones universe. He described playing Ormund Hightower, who marches from Oldtown with a large Hightower army as a “lovely mad experience” that brought out his inner child.
Still, his comments offer a funny but realistic glimpse behind-the-scenes of epic fantasy productions. The glamour of swords, armour, and dragons comes with a very real physical price.
