Talk about making a strong first impression.
James Norton is still gaining his footing as Ormund Hightower, the newest baddie on Season 3 of House of the Dragon. But already, fellow cast member Emma D’Arcy and the show’s producers are calling his character things like “a major player,” “an evil man,” and “a bogeyman.” All in a day’s work for the 40-year-old English actor.
“The revelation about Daeron’s true identity and Ormund’s deception marks the start of paranoia for Rhaenyra,” said D’Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen, in a behind-the-scenes featurette that aired after “Tumbleton,” the season’s fourth episode.
The newly minted queen was thrown for a loop last week when Ormund pulled a switcheroo and handed over an imposter in place of Daeron Targaryen, Rhaenyra’s half-brother and the youngest son of Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). Upon discovering the ruse, Rhaenyra was left to wonder whether she’d finally met her match in Ormund.
D’Arcy added, “Ormund’s a kind of unknowable force. His psychology is very inaccessible. I think he sort of becomes a bogeyman in Rhaenyra’s consciousness, not least because she doesn’t understand his intention. And I think that paranoia starts to have broader repercussions.”
Norton explained that Ormund’s deception was due to the fact that he wanted to gain power for himself by placing young Daeron — the real one, who is played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth — on the Iron Throne.
“I guess Ormund could be described as the pushiest of all pushy parents,” Norton laughed. “He wants Daeron to be king. And it’s not from a place of pride and love. It’s actually from a place of self-interest, because I think if Ormund can instill Daeron as king, he essentially can become king himself. Daeron becomes a puppet king and Ormund becomes the real power behind that. The whole journey of Ormund is one of self-interest and ambition.”
Norton was introduced in the premiere of Season 3, but his character has been a mystery thus far. It wasn’t until this week’s episode of House of the Dragon that fans finally saw what made Ormund tick.
Showrunner Ryan Condal chimed in, “Ormund has done the calculation that, because Tumbleton is loyal to Rhaenyra, if he holes up inside the city walls and keeps his troops in there, she will not be able to burn him out without having to lay waste to an entire city that declared loyalty to her. That would delegitimize her and make her a monster in the eyes of the realm. That’s what’s so brilliant about Ormund. This guy is a major player of the chess game of this world.”
“Daeron and Ormund’s relationship is really dysfunctional and horrible to watch, but brilliant and fun to direct,” noted executive producer-director Clare Kilner. “It’s a really abusive relationship. Daeron has only known the love that he’s known from Ormund, which isn’t love at all. Daeron is in Ormund’s thrall, but doesn’t really understand it or know it. Ormund is a great manipulator, and knows when to give love and when to give punishment. He’s an evil man.”
Executive producer-writer David Hancock delved a bit deeper into Ormund’s backstory, revealing, “He’s been raised in the light of the Seven, and he’s raising Daeron in the same light — not the corrupted, perverse, Valyrian ways of the foreign Targaryens. He metes out this eye-for-an-eye justice publicly, and lets Leo off because that is what the compassionate ruler would do.”
Finally, Ainsworth gave his two cents on his character’s father figure. “In the moment where Daeron is told he has to kill Leo, he ends up doing it out of fear of Ormund and out of a longing to be seen in good light by Ormund. It’s such a chaotic time and he almost has to, to get out of it,” the young actor explained.
Be sure to sound off on all things House of the Dragon in our TV forums. And check out Gold Derby’s exclusive interviews with Steve Toussaint (as Corlys Velaryon) and Harry Collett (as Jacaerys “Jace” Velaryon).
