House of the Dragon has had some inspired bits of casting thus far. One actor who has particularly shone in the show despite a very short run on the program is Leo Ashton, who portrays the young version of Aemond Targaryen. The actor recently took to social media to post his audition tape for the character.
Aemond Targaryen is a major character in House of the Dragon. In Fire & Blood, he is one of the main players in the Dance of the Dragons. Having claimed the dragon Vhagar as his mount (and having lost an eye in the process), the character is a fearsome and formidable foe on the side of the Greens. With the Targaryens' largest and oldest dragon at his disposal, his presence causes Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) some major headaches. In his adult incarnation, he is portrayed by Ewan Mitchell.
Ashton, who is highly active on social media, showed off his original audition for Aemond in an Instagram reel. The clip features Ashton in character as Aemond, presumably speaking to his older brother Aegon (Ty Tennant, then Tom Glynn-Carney). “They’ve taken what belongs to us, merely by being born,” Ashton says. “You should be the heir and I second in line to the throne.” Off-screen, a woman reads, “Our father, the king, would disagree with you.” Ashton then responds with, “He chooses the path of least resistance as always.”
Ashton writes in the description of the video that the tape was filmed and sent in for casting two years ago now. At the time, he did not know what show he was auditioning for but said that he met House of the Dragon co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik, who will be leaving ahead of season 2, and recalls telling him that he wanted the part very badly. He then recalls doing a screen test with Ty Tennant and “another guy” before he got the role.
The young actors of House of the Dragon are mostly drawn from a pool of unknown talent. For instance, Milly Alcock, who delighted audiences as a young Rhaenyra Targaryen, was waiting tables when she first got the call that she had been cast. She has since acknowledged that the attention she’s received since shooting into stardom has been a bit overwhelming.
Ashton put in a great performance as Aemond during episode 7, where he claimed Vhagar and immediately did a 180, turning into a bully despite having been bullied himself in the previous episode. It was a nuanced performance for a young actor to have to play out. Thus far, House of the Dragon has done an excellent job at eliciting emotional performances out of their young performers.
House of the Dragon airs on Sunday at 9 PM EST on HBO and HBO Max.
Source: Leo Ashton/Instagram