Tom Glynn-Carney, who plays King Aegon II Targaryen, has shared the grueling and often terrifying makeup process he endured to portray the severely injured version of his character in House of the Dragon Season 2. He talked about this on ‘Before The Lights’ podcast.
Quick read:
- Tom Glynn-Carney talks about the extreme prosthetics he had to dorne as Aegon
- He affirmed how his existing vision issues made it worse
- He admitted liking the bald cap because it gave him a facelift
Credit: HBO
The most uncomfortable part
One of the most shocking revelations came when Glynn-Carney described how the prosthetics team prepared his face for Aegon’s burn injuries:
“They glued my eyelids together shut.”
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For scenes showing Aegon’s badly burned and swollen face, the team needed his left eye completely closed. To achieve this, they literally glued his eyelids shut. “It was terrifying,” he admitted. “I was practically blind.”
Glynn-Carney revealed that he already has partial blindness in that eye with limited peripheral vision, making the experience even more disorienting. He said simple tasks like walking from his trailer to set became extremely difficult.
“It was like a Takeshi’s Castle kind of trial. Just running into doors. Taking my life in my own hands.”
The “Salford Facelift” and bald cap
On a lighter note, Glynn-Carney and co-star Matt Smith both enjoy the bald cap and wig used for the Targaryen look, as it creates a tightening effect on the face.
“We both quite enjoy having the wig, the bald cap, because it’s sort of like tightens everything up. Takes a good few years off you. A little facelift,” he joked, calling it a “Salford facelift” (a possible term from his hometown).
The team also glues down his eyebrows and draws new ones on for the full look. Glynn-Carney praised his hair and makeup artist, Hannah Eccleston, who often had to guide him around set while he was nearly blind from the prosthetics.
Dedication to the role
Despite the discomfort and scary moments, Tom Glynn-Carney’s commitment to portraying the traumatized and physically altered Aegon has been widely praised. His honest and humorous recounting of the process gives fans a rare glimpse into the physical toll of bringing such a complex character to life. Season 2 of House of the Dragon featured some of the most intense injury makeup in the series so far, and this is going to continue into the upcoming third season too.
