House of the Dragon's Tom Glynn-Carney binged Game of Thrones in 3 weeks to prepare to be Aegon II Targaryen

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Every actor has their own unique process when preparing for a role. Some will absorb everything they could about their character, remaking their entire personality until the line between actor and character is blurred. Others will read the script over and over until it’s burned into their brain.

Or, if you’re Tom Glynn-Carney, you spend weeks binging a television show.

Let’s be honest, his way sounds more fun. Plus, most of us already do this anyway.

Glynn-Carney is currently playing King Aegon in House of the Dragon, Max’s Game of Thrones prequel. During a spotlight panel at ACE Superhero Comic Con 2024, Glynn-Carney recalled auditioning for the role. At the time, he wasn’t aware of the Game of Thrones connection.

“It was the quickest audition process I’ve ever had for any of the projects I’ve worked on,” Gynn-Carney recalled. “I didn’t know what the project was, and nobody would tell me what it was. There was a dummy script I had to put myself on tape for. The casting director Kate Rhodes James apparently had only pitched me for the role. I don’t know why! The showrunners watched the tape the day after, and I got a call, and they offered me the role.”

It was then that he realized it was a Game of Thrones prequel. The problem was, he had never watched an episode of the original show. “I hadn’t seen Game of Thrones until being cast as Aegon. Then I thought I had to watch it, so I did, and blitzed the entire eight seasons into three weeks. I don’t think I came out of my bedroom….curtains closed.”

Glynn-Carney went on to say that his favorite death was Joffrey, and his favorite episode was 'Battle of the Bastards' from season 6.

Technically Glynn-Carney didn’t need to do this, since his character isn’t in the original series. Still, he wouldn’t be the first person to binge Game of Thrones. At least he can claim he was doing it for career reasons.

House of the Dragon: How (and where) to watch HBO's hit show (and the entire Game of Thrones saga) in order.