Meet the Targaryens<\/a>. The dynastic rulers of the known world, who have handed down the crown to their first-born, generation after generation, their power and privilege protected by the genetic ties that bind (and a few fire-breathing dragons).<\/p>\n Until, that is, the children started squabbling, someone lost an eye, a cousin plummeted from the sky<\/a> (those pesky dragons again) and all hell broke loose. Families, eh?<\/p>\n So begins season two of House of the Dragon<\/a>, the sprawling Game of Thrones<\/a> prequel set a couple of centuries before the original series. And if 2022\u2019s first season was about establishing how the Targaryens had long kept an iron grip on the Iron Throne of Westeros, we\u2019re about to see how they lost it, ripping themselves \u2013 and their kingdom \u2013 apart in brutal internecine conflict.<\/p>\n At the head of one faction is the tempestuous princeling Aegon Targaryen, played by Tom Glynn-Carney. At the close of the last series, a reluctant Aegon (pronounced Egg-on) was thrust onto the throne following the death of his father, King Viserys (Paddy Considine). Now, explains the Salford-born 29-year-old actor, \u201cAegon\u2019s adopting this new persona of power and strength. It\u2019s the first time he\u2019s had any form of purpose. And he\u2019s taking it in his stride \u2013 or at least trying to look as if he is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a spring in his step. Aegon\u2019s probably gained two inches in height. So [at the start of this series] we find him working out what this next chapter is for him,\u201d Glynn-Carney explains in a soft accent that\u2019s more akin to Game of Thrones\u2019s northern clan the Starks than the southern cadences of the Targaryens (\u201cI know,\u201d he says a little ruefully, \u201cbut you somehow feel more evil with that heightened RP accent\u201d).<\/p>\n To his supporters, he\u2019s King Aegon the Magnanimous, goodly and rightful occupant of the big spiky chair. To his rival family members, led by fellow claimant Queen Rhaenyra<\/a> (Emma D\u2019Arcy) and her wicked husband Daemon (Matt Smith), he\u2019s Aegon the Usurper.<\/p>\n To Glynn-Carney\u2019s joshing co-star Rhys Ifans, who plays regal adviser (or Hand) Ser Otto Hightower, he\u2019s \u201cAeg-on Toast\u201d, the punning honorific the Welsh actor would call out during filming.<\/p>\n \u201cYou learn so much from guys like that,\u201d says Glynn-Carney who, seven years after his first notable screen appearance, in Christopher Nolan\u2019s Dunkirk, is armour-deep in his debut leading role. \u201cWith experience comes a looseness. And with a looseness comes humour. So we have a laugh on set.\u201d<\/p>\n Equally, with senior members of the ensemble being actors of the calibre of Smith, D\u2019arcy, Ifans and Olivia Cooke (who plays Aegon\u2019s mother Alicent<\/a>, despite being only a year older than Glynn-Carney), \u201cyou have to be a sponge in these environments. Soak in as much as you can. You hear that phrase, \u2018You shouldn\u2019t meet your heroes\u2019. But so far, I\u2019ve been very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n As a teenager at school in Bolton, Glynn-Carney wasn\u2019t much of a fantasy fan. He will cop to being \u201cobsessed with Harry Potter<\/a>\u201c, but never watched Game of Thrones (subsequent to being cast in HotD he paid his \u201cdue diligence\u201d and hoovered up all eight series) and still hasn\u2019t seen the Lord of the Rings movies.<\/p>\n Rather, the performances that propelled him towards applying successfully for a place at London\u2019s Guildhall School of Music and Drama were those by the likes of Jack Nicholson, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger, \u201cactors who really went somewhere when they took on a role,\u201d he says. \u201cWho gave their whole atomic make-up to the work. I wanted to know what that felt like.\u201d Another obsession was \u201cthe idea of not being me. I was always doing different accents as a kid. To the point where I lost myself a little bit! I didn\u2019t really know who I was. Watching One Flew over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest was a really pivotal moment. I wanted a bit of that, wherever that was\u201d.<\/p>\n Cast in Dunkirk not long after graduating, he joined a squad of fledgeling actors: Barry Keoghan, Jack Lowden, Aneurin Barnard, Fionn Whitehead and a young lad called Harry Styles. \u201cDrama school is great for many reasons, but you don\u2019t learn at drama school what you learn on a film set. It felt like I was starting from square one. [Director] Chris Nolan and all the creative team and older cast realised that. They were very patient with us young lads who were working it out on the job. Huge impostor syndrome! But it was great. What a springboard.\u201d<\/p>\n The same year, a supporting role in Jez Butterworth\u2019s hit play The Ferryman led to Glynn-Carney taking the emerging talent crown at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards. That was followed, also in 2017, by inclusion in Screen International\u2019s Stars of Tomorrow list, alongside Jessie Buckley, Michaela Coel and future SAS: Rogue Heroes co-star Connor Swindells.<\/p>\n Another amazing squad \u2013 although it\u2019s taken longer for Glynn-Carney to \u201cemerge\u201d, or for his \u201ctomorrow\u201d to come, than some of those peers. Was that ever concerning? \u201cNot particularly,\u201d he replies. \u201cI actually have very little interest in being a leading man. I\u2019m fascinated by the supporting roles. I find them more interesting. Often, they have more of an impact in a plotline.\u201d<\/p>\n In one sense, he\u2019s proceeding as planned: his next role is in this summer\u2019s Jenna Coleman-led BBC detective drama The Jetty. \u201cI play quite a problematic character \u2013 surprise, surprise,\u201d Glynn-Carney says with a smile. But not everything\u2019s gone so smoothly. His scheduled return for series two of SAS: Rogue Heroes was scuppered by his House of the Dragon commitments, which he characterises as \u201cunfortunate\u201d and \u201ca shame\u201d, not least because the soldier he played, Mike Sadler, was the sole surviving member of the original SAS until his death in January, at the age of 103.<\/p>\n Still, House of the Dragon has now shown him the truth behind the precept that heavy lies the head that wears the crown \u2013 even on a TV set. \u201cThe one thing that does intrigue me about \u2018leading man status\u2019 is the workload and responsibility it requires to carry something. To a certain extent, I felt that during season two,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt has been the project so far where I felt most involved, and where the character has been most pivotal. There is a great responsibility that comes with that. But it\u2019s one that I welcome and hope continues.\u201d<\/p>\n As to whether that will now mean leading man fame, Glynn-Carney is relaxed. Helpfully, his platinum Targaryen wig means he\u2019s not often recognised. \u201cI get away with it. I like to think I don\u2019t look anything like Aegon in real life. Does he think Aegon would have been better off with the peace and quiet of not being made king? \u201cMaybe!\u201d he laughs. \u201cI think he\u2019d be on a beach in Australia\u2026 although probably still getting in a lot of trouble.\u201d<\/p> House of the Dragon season two will air on Sky Atlantic and\u00a0NOW<\/a>\u00a0in the UK from 17th June \u2013 find out more about\u00a0how to sign up for Sky TV<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Check out more of our\u00a0Fantasy<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0to see what\u2019s on tonight.\u00a0<\/strong>For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Tom Glynn-Carney speaks to Radio Times magazine about starring in the Game of Thrones prequel and the future of King Aegon II Targaryen. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":53235,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/tom-glynn-carney-on-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-and-aegons-next-chapter.jpg",1920,1280,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/tom-glynn-carney-on-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-and-aegons-next-chapter-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/tom-glynn-carney-on-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-and-aegons-next-chapter-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/tom-glynn-carney-on-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-and-aegons-next-chapter-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/tom-glynn-carney-on-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-and-aegons-next-chapter-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/tom-glynn-carney-on-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-and-aegons-next-chapter-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/tom-glynn-carney-on-house-of-the-dragon-season-2-and-aegons-next-chapter.jpg",1920,1280,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Tom Glynn-Carney speaks to Radio Times magazine about starring in the Game of Thrones prequel and the future of King Aegon II Targaryen.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/53234"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/0164HOTDS02-85fcbb6-e1718189625557.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C414\" "\\"Tom")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/0134HOTDS02-403e2cf.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Tom")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/0106HOTDS02-25179b4.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"House")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"