So far in House of the Dragon season 3, young prince Daeron Targaryen has been under the thumb of his guardian Ormund Hightower out in Tumbleton.
But, in the latest episode of the Game of Thrones prequel, the situation gets slightly more complicated. Daeron's uncle Gwayne Hightower comes to Tumbleton after breaking away from Criston Cole, and it's immediately clear that Gwayne is far more of a positive influence on Daeron than the authoritarian Ormund. Spoilers for episode 6 follow.
"So far, any scene with Daeron has had Ormund Hightower within it, which I think says a lot about their relationship, really," Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who plays Daeron, tells GamesRadar+ when we meet over Zoom.
"There's not a lot of space, and, despite Daeron being an isolated character – he was sent away from his family, away from the politics, but also away from his mother, and all that comes with that, for better or for worse – he's also cramped within this position. The image of Tessarion chained up in Tumbleton's Sept feels like a symbol that makes sense for Daeron's internal experience with Ormond.
"And I think they're both parental figures, Gwayne and Ormund, and Gwayne is more brotherly, and Ormund is more domineering, and so we see a different kind of love and a different side of Daeron comes out when he's with Gwayne," Ainsworth continues. "Something more transparent, something more true to who he is as a person, and almost this frustration that comes from just this weight that he's been holding of being around Ormund, having to be very calculated about what he says, what he does, when he does it, because he knows that Ormund has this rage that could be unleashed at any moment. And Gwayne is someone that he's been able to talk to, but I think the difference being, he's come back war hardened and out the fight, and usually he's his person [Daeron] can confide with.
"And I think just playing those different relationships and being able to explore the different sides of Daeron with Freddie Fox, but then also with James [Norton], has been really fun."
Perhaps the most horrifying moment in Daeron and Ormund's relationship so far came when Ormund forced Daeron to execute an innocent man in Tumbleton, down in the secrecy of the Sept.
"It's manipulation at its worst," Ainsworth says of the moment. "And I think there's a certain part of Daeron which is aware of it and has seen it. He is aware of when things are going wrong, we saw that when he sends away the other squire, so he doesn't get hurt by the rage that's about to come out in episode four. I think, as twisted as it seems, it's something [Daeron] feels like he has to do to get out of this situation.
"There's no other option he feels in that moment, but also, there's almost like a pride which Ormund has with him afterwards, which he kind of yearns for as a character," Ainsworth explains. "And it demonstrates how twisted and fractured their relationship is, that Daeron is willing to do what Ormund wants because he doesn't have that loving figure in his life, and so looks for that through Ormund.
"It was really fun to play, but also, I guess, gut-wrenching to then watch back from an outside perspective. But, yeah, it's really lovely to work with people like James Norton because they give you something really specific every single take, and it's different every take, and so you can almost just follow them on the ride and see how the take unfolds," Ainsworth says. "And sometimes it would end in a moment of, almost, love at the end of of that scene, of like a shared affection that [Ormund] was proud of what I had done, and I know what I have done is terrible – and I wouldn't do it – but the pride he feels is shining onto Daeron. So, yeah, it's definitely a turning point. It's when he figures out he's going to be styled as king, which then starts a barrage of new questions of who he is and who he wants to be."
House of the Dragon season 3 continues weekly on Sky, NOW, and HBO Max in the UK, and HBO in the US.
You can keep up to date with our House of the Dragon season 3 release schedule, and, for even more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Game of Thrones movies and TV shows.
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