House of the Dragon star James Norton is embracing the more revealing side of playing a villain, and he’s doing it with a sense of humour.
During his recent appearance at CBS Mornings, Norton was asked about a standout naked tub scene from Episode 4, in which audiences get a full view of Ormund Hightower’s “bottom” during a bathtub scene.
Quick read:
- Norton prepared for the naked scene by doing squats
- He had fun shooting for the scene because he got to spend the whole day in milk bath
- He likes how Ormund doesn’t care about other people’s opinions
Preparing for the scene
When asked how he got ready for the nude sequence, Norton kept the tone light.
“I prepared my bottom. Squats, girl, squats.”
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He went on to describe the actual filming experience as surprisingly enjoyable.
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I mean, I spent the whole day in a kind of milk, Ormund bathes in milk. And it was this warm kind of milk bath. I think the reason is because Ormund is always having one. When you play villians who love being themselves, there’s a sort of hubris and arrogance, which is lovely.”
so james is telling us that Ormund bathes in milk ?!! pic.twitter.com/iS1IsgRi3e
— ҡყαɳα°○ (@kyanuuugh) July 24, 2026
He then compared his own personality with the character and praised him for not caring what people think of him.
“It’s nice because I’ve spent most of my life worrying about what people would think. And then a character like Ormund can stand there completely naked in a room full of people and not care.”
For Norton, the key to the moment was staying true to Ormund’s personality. The character’s confidence and arrogance made the vulnerability of the scene feel natural rather than awkward.
Norton’s comments point out one of the pleasures of playing a character like Ormund Hightower: the freedom to shed self-consciousness.
