Tom Glynn-Carney talks about why his Aegon looks different from Fire & Blood’s description

In the first season of House of the Dragon, Aegon II Targaryen, played by Tom Glynn-Carney, sits on the Iron Throne, but despite his newfound power, he feels like a pawn in his own game of succession. He’s a complex character, plagued by inner turmoil and self-inflicted trauma, making him a tortured and troubled soul. After the Battle of Rook’s Rest, Aegon II Targaryen is a king who has been defeated and hurt. He’s lost his confidence and his body is injured.

A question on Aegon’s mustache

Tom Glynn-Carney, the actor behind Aegon II, addressed the noticeable absence of the character’s infamous mustache from the books. He revealed that he and the hair and makeup designer considered bringing it to life but decided against it, choosing a clean-shaven look for the show. However, he left the door open for the mustache’s potential return, possibly in a modified form due to Aegon’s facial injuries. In an interview with Nerdist, Tom Glynn-Carney said,

“Good question. You know what? I had this conversation with Amanda Knight, the wonderful hair and makeup designer on the show. We spoke about this at the start, about whether we could bring that to life, because I remember seeing pictures of him.

And she was like, “You know what? You might not want to sustain that for the amount of time that we do this show. So maybe let’s go clean shaven and see where we get from there.” But that’s not to say that it might not come at some point, even though he has had his face burned, it might be half a mustache, but we’ll see.”

Tom Glynn’s challenging performance

Tom Glynn-Carney shared his insights on the contrasting demands of playing Aegon II. He noted that both dramatic, high-energy scenes and subtle, quieter moments have unique challenges. The more intense scenes require stamina, emotional depth, and focus, while the quieter scenes, where he has to remain still and focused amidst prosthetics and props, demand sustained concentration.

“Both for different reasons. I dunno, that’s like comparing badminton with tennis, two very different sports. In terms of stamina, probably the louder, more kind of theatrical scenes. They require a lot of focus and a lot of energy and usually emotional depth and agility. But saying that, when I’m in the bed, covered in all the prosthetics and stuff, that’s tiring in its own way and difficult to remain focused on the task at hand. So yeah, both have their own challenges, but I revel in both arenas.”

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