they are a protector of the [Applause] realm now I find myself in an impossible position all hail King aegon the enemy user upt my Throne we're going to King's Landing oliv you're getting my first big question of the bunch here I'm curious given everything that goes down in season 2 do you think Allison regrets pushing for Aon to be king or does she oh yeah no massively massively I think that's the whole sort of um conundrum that she has throughout EP uh season two has she made a mistake and I think the answer is becomes very very clear I can feel that so far having only watched two episodes it's pretty instantaneous but she's trying to repress that thought and feeling down very stressed out for her I know same of all the main characters she's surrounded by at this point in the story who do you think she trusts the most Christen at this point from what you've seen yeah Kristen to you yeah for what it's worth I feel like there's no right answer to that question I know because everyone's a bunch of snakes yeah you said it not me so I'm glad you dropped the f bom um Matt a question about aiman for you because it always feels like aim and Damon are operating in a similar way but on opposite sides of the battle so is there anything about about Aon that Damon actually admires even though it makes him a bigger threat probably yeah I mean I've never really considered that that's a very good question I've never really considered it um um you know I think I think I think Damon sort of likes the challenge of anyone that will you know bring it to the table and and an act sort of deeply violently of their own valtion but I think look I think he's sort of driven by a Vengeance to protect his end and uh and a deep sense of Revenge for what happened to jeris so I just think he wants to Nick's other eye I mean fair enough so who do you think he thinks at this point is the number one threat to him and his Ambitions Aon I would say yeah he's got the biggest dragon and I don't know but I mean it's uh I just think he wants all out War anyway do know what I mean like I don't I think like he's just an agent of chaos D and he just wants he wants to get into the blood and the guts and the war of it I think so many Twisted thought processes in this story in the first couple episodes of the new season we see him have to choose between Allison and his King a couple of times what is it about his own personal goals that you think makes him side with one or the other at any given moment I mean it's not you know I guess to some extent we're just following what's written and and so in that way it's like we don't have so much of a choice as to who is who we're siding with as the actors because you know it's being decided for us but the I I guess for him that the difficulty is always managing his feelings for Allison um with his duty to the realm and so yeah I think and that and that's kind of the governing kind of emotion for him of the season I think is just which one of those is the right thing to do and uh yeah you have to wait see got some questions in terms of where he lands while figuring that out then I'll have to wait until later in the season for all three of you now I have a feeling you go into a season and you got your head well wrapped around your character's Arc for that particular uh season of the show but can you each pinpoint a surprising quality of your character that you found along the way while making season two something that shocked you in terms of you know what a big part of their evolution it became I've never really felt Damon like anyone and I don't know here here here's the issue I don't know if it's cuz I really like the actor or if I like the character but I don't know if I ever apart from his brother and his wife um he doesn't really like anyone and his kids saw of even there is like um but so Simon strong I think there's something about him that he without giving too much away there's something about him but maybe it's just because I love Simon Russell Beal so yeah but that was surprising to me makes sense from the character perspective and from yours understand yeah yeah yeah sort of a art meeting life yeah I think Liberation for Allison I think sexual Liberation and I think also Liberation within the confines of the castle and outside of the castle possibly I don't know I don't envy you all having to keep secrets right now yeah it's true it's tough actually um yeah I think similarly to to Matt um you know uh G high tower Allison's brother appears later on in the show without giving anything away I think again it's like I don't know whether it's the person or the character that I like but I had a lovely time working with um Freddy Fox who played G uh he was a welcome addition and and also I think like uh like Olivia the sort of liberation of Cole and and and sort of the the meaning of that how much that relationship with Alice and sort of ends up meaning to him as the as the season progresses I think it ends up becoming I think it starts as one thing and very much ends as a different one all ends with a no pressure fun question because Father's Day is right around the corner can you rank the dads of House of the dragon from best to worst well you're the worst no sorry actually egon's the worst hold on hold on who else is there what Otto's terrible I'm great at present true what about Otto ot's awful yeah my dad's awful yeah at least he talks to you that's true but only when he's trying to kind of get something I pass my children in the corridor of grunted in life and in half but maybe they're better off having not been parented who whoa whoa um stop throwing me under the bus parent wise man um right let's just let's name are who are they have you got I did write write it down just in case also I feel like we should clude include viseris in this so he was a good dad wasn't he viser look how they turned out that's not his fault go on yeah viseris demon out high tower uh Lord coralus aegon and then I mean do we want Harwin strong yeah he's a good uh twin which one's Harin strong who's har strong Jason laris's dad who got down who got who ah yes of course with the fire and all that yeah boohoo I um okay so we're going from for so the best one isus is it yeah yeah then ceries yeah or or or or Li you want to Li lion Richie then um then then probably vus then yeah then vus yeah then me no yeah you then you then Otto then Egon no put Matt at the end no I I actually think I think i' rather have Damon I'd rather have Damon than yeah or right isn't he no CU he's such a bad example he wants his son to be in the room and he ask the watch's his face to take him on a piggyback ride that's more than I've ever done for my kids maybe I am bottom actually Jefferson that's it I bumped into him Brighton I've got to tell you about that yeah did you yeah oh was that yeah yeah great there now uh yeah does he right anyway I'll tell about in a minute a Tinder dat yeah um I feel like that was like aason that shut up right um yeah so in conclusion you're at the bottom of you're not yeah I'm Noor uh no I think you're third third and then then we said uto and then aon's the worst is he yeah all right I'll take that my uncle is a challenge I welcome if he does face me you and I'm going to start with you cuz I'm curious your take on this what what do you think guilt feels like for for aan does he feel the weight of bad things he does even if he doesn't necessarily tell other people he feels that way yeah I think he wears guilt in that last moment you see him in season 1 that's what I love about that moment as well it's just between the audience and him yeah and so going into season 2 you're like is he going to tell people about this or going to keep that moment for him and the audience and I find that interesting that yeah I think that's what Gil looks like on the back of the Dragon I have another question about something he might just keep to himself I mean he does keep it to himself the greens clearly aren't happy that he wound up killing Luke and he didn't intend for it to happen I think that's pretty clear as well why do you think he doesn't tell anybody he didn't mean it um I think I think it's that idea that he has of of um this for hard that he's kind of cultivated since he was a kid since he was hurt really badly he doesn't want to be hurt as as bad as that ever again and so he he kind of inhabited this very um villainous kind of um you know exterior um that kind of protects that that's still you know bubbling away yeah bubbling away and um and I think that's why he doesn't tell anyone is because it shows weakness and aon's you know weakness is alien to Aon it's strength with him you know and he wants to be fed it's not a weakness is not an option for him I'll ask one more question about that particular element of the of the story and then leave it but again he doesn't intend to kill Luke vagar kind of takes control and it left me wondering is there any concern on his part in not having full control over her actions um I think I think definitely I I always I've always kind of likened the the dragons and their characters they're almost there's this symbiotic nature between them there's um they're almost like an extension of each other I feel anyway almost like the Philip Pullman demons yeah exactly and it's very close yeah dark material and I I am I I think with amund and vagar like she she represent something in him that idea that he you know he's he's he's almost more worthier of an older Dragon because he was that 10 ye- old kid who you know was defied the odds and he stood in the face of adversity and claimed a you know when so many before you know were chomped up um but yeah and so I think she she um she represents something in am and when she kind of loses control for sure maybe that is her but then maybe she's like the animalization of his you know anger that's still bubbling maybe I'm getting too deep good I thought about the connection between Ryder and dragon too much so most of this has probably gone through my head at one point or another umia one I quote from season one that I've gotten really hung up on it's when you say it is Our Fate I think to Crave always what is given to another if one possesses a thing the other will take it away that statement though feels less true for her so is there anything anybody in this world has that that she actually wants it's a good question I don't know if she's grown up with so many examples of a life that that she aspires to I think that's one of the great sadnesses is that what would it be like if she'd been validated what how would she behave what would it be like if any of the children in this family didn't feel like they were the one that had been given the Short Straw that's the thing that is the theme with everyone everybody needs each other and wants each other and no one can no one can make it work quite good enough and it yeah and it's it's really sad um so I think yeah I think it's a really good question because yeah I don't genuinely think she maybe has seen an example of a life that she would like but maybe in that way maybe maybe maybe that's almost better because it's not going to happen maybe there's a world where the ignorance is bliss in that way although I do think she's really emotionally intelligent so I I do think that she maybe it's the insects maybe that's it maybe there's a freedom and a beauty or something in that which she aspires to I'm like a big animal lover so I have so much respect for a statement like that I'm curious if you could tease her her relationship with and her understanding of her Visions a little because at this point we've seen some come true in season 1 I'm sure that's going to continue in season 2 so can you tease how that relationship evolves for her I think um the way that I've been thinking about the the dreams is like more like a really strong in intuition and Instinct and actually have just been thinking about how um how that takes confidence and sort of like self-respect to let yourself get really in tune with your intuition you have to like respect your own opinion and I think that that's maybe not something that she's had but I think through the trauma of what happens in season 2 she actually sees it as a moment to be like I have to just stand for myself here you kind of see her taking steps towards sort of a more grounded position but she has to go through hell of ack to get there yeah it's really interesting but you must accept that the path to Victory now is one of violence good to war then we've seen our fair share of cruel and misguided kings in the well not really this show but in uh Game of Thrones in general are there any past Kings or leaders that you're holding tight to while playing aegon but then also can you tell me some qualities that you want to imbue him with to make him stand out from other rulers that we've seen before yeah good question uh nothing really we've well yeah we've seen but not in in Game of Thrones I don't think um the comparison that I find most kind of appropriate for Egon is um actually Richard thei for uh Shakespeare's Richard II I find a lot of comparisons in him um his sort of quest for um love and friendship and power but also with that comes a respect and a purpose I could see that a couple follow-up questions about that first I'm curious what is the key to having him do things that maybe people wouldn't agree with things that are quite cruel but also maintaining enough Humanity that when bad things happen to him the audience still has a bit of a connection and and can feel what he's going through well good thank you I'm glad I'm glad you think so um that that's I think that's just kind of down to trying to make him as human as possible none of us are perfect um some less so than others and he's had a he's had a tough hand he's been dealt a really tricky hand and I know you know he's a nepo baby and all that stuff and he's landed in this position not through any sort of own personal hard work or effort but um yeah he's he's he's had a pretty pretty rough rough ride so far and I think a lot of that explains or could explain why he behaves in a certain way I love Egon and I think there is a lot to be had in him I don't think he's all bad at all um and I think that's my challenges an actor to make him a fully rounded uh layered complex human being like we all are you know no one's just black and white is that true wonder if my next question could kind of get at that a little bit there's a a scene in episode one where he's hearing petitions I'm curious for you playing him in that moment what is his number one priority is it to get through the petitions and get on with his day is it truly to give the people what they want so they can be happy or is the bigger priority him just being liked him being liked I think he's I think he's thought about this position uh session if you want to call it that for a good few days before before it's actually happened he's been practicing in the mirror if they brush their teeth I don't know if they do but it' be brushing his teeth and sort of rehearsing how he's going to interact with people um obsessed about his first impression I think and wants to be liked he goes into that with a spring in his step and he sits on the throne he's like right who's first I feel like him giving himself a pep talk in the mirror off camera something I want to see a deleted scene or something a daily occurrence for for I go I always love those little uh human moments that we don't realize they probably do like in particular seeing him like hang out with his friends and having a drink while sitting on the throne I'm just like yeah I believe he would do that chilling that's his s isn't it I guess here's a a big broad question about being King what do you think his biggest misconception was about what it meant to be king at the end of season 1 compared to what he learns about the role over the course of season two yeah good question uh misconception probably he has to fill his father's shoes and that he's going to be completely rejected by everybody of Kings Landing the small folk Kings Landing but Wester Ross in general because of this whole uh confusion to the buildup to the coronation is it Renea is it me what you know probably that had to fill viseris is shoes but he's not viseris and I think that's that what he then finds out later down the line as a second part of your question I think he he realizes he's not so he's not going to try to be for what it's worth I'm already seeing and feeling that quite a bit in the first two episodes good yeah very effective thanks um does he think the small Council has any value whatsoever and if not what does he think or who does he think has the most value in terms of someone advising the king he understands the procedure of the small Council there are certain few names in that room that he would pay take more heed of than others uh uto high tower being being one of them I think he sits with the most power in that room even though Egon has the crown on his head Otto is the one with the power and I think Egon starts to resent that he also sees them as chess pieces on a board so there's a contradiction there too so I don't know yeah playing that chess game quite harshly right now I'll end with the one Dragon question because it is brought up in the first episode and it was making me wonder what do you think it feels like for him to be a dragon rider who is not being allowed to ride his Dragon frustrating frustrating totally uh because I think he's going in with this sort of uh enthusiasm when it comes to the idea of War he sees war is a bit of a game um I said this before it feels like you know he's been watching other people play the game they've had the remote control in their hand for for a long time and he's just been sitting there watching being like I'm I can't have a go suddenly he's got it and he's the one pressing the buttons and he's loving it you know so yeah he wants to fully embark on on this journey and jump on his dragon and get involved but they're not going to let him something about the game metaphor made all this even more disturbing well yeah he's a child really he's you know he's a little boy the high towers are Marching you must crush this beast at its head this is my favorite question for the two of you cuz I love this quality about your relationship in this franchise we don't often see characters who are genuinely warm and caring to each other so how do you think your characters are stronger people in this world because they have such a genuinely loving relationship that's why for that very reason it means um it means they're a unit two minds better than one I mean I even if it takes call us a little while sometimes to come around but I but I think that that they they are a unit and I think that is in itself the strength and like like in life if you have somebody who has your back you're just that much better you're just that much more confident you're constantly having you con having to be bigger than yourself in particular with this um you know dynamic and so you know you've got a very strong feminine energy and a very strong masculine energy and those two energies are very very different and so to be able to manage them and coexist within them is it requires constant work actually and constant compromise and energy and coming out of yourself and understanding of a a a being and a creature that is totally foreign and that makes you inevitably obviously makes you much bigger as a person and much stronger yeah I love it I love when they talk to each other and you can tell that they're listening and also caring about the other it's like the one it's one of the few safe spaces in this franchise we have the only one no there's not many there you are one so they both went through a lot in season 1 so I was wondering is there any particular scene or big moment in the first season that you each found yourselves holding especially tight to when playing your character in season 2 oh wow um I mean I I always hold tight sorry in well I always hold tight to actually that very first scene that we shot I was going to say the same thing it was the first scene of the whole production production was episode five it was no it was seven was episode seven and it was when we would after the death of Lena funeral and we were coming together after that and having actually quite a um fractured and and traumatizing conversation because we weren't agreeing W no cuz it was to do with the with uh Rene's boys yes and and and but the the support that I felt and I feel I hope that we both felt for each other and that sort of immediate um connection was very strong so I think also we were dealing with the huge nerves and all of that and so that's that somehow was like glue yeah that that's exactly the same scene I was going to say that's the one that I I think of the whole um which ends with history remembers names not blood or whatever it is something but uh yeah that was the I think that despite the fact that it ends on a slight slight fracture that is the essence of who they are that they sit and talk and they try to yeah support and know each other so yeah that would be the scene I I could definitely feel that reverberating throughout the show leaning into their their evolution here even more I'm curious for for each of you what do you think is the biggest difference between how they would Define being a good leader in season 1 compared to how they Define it in season 2 oo oh wow gosh these are a difference well I we did we both agree that viseris wasn't a good King I well I I feel I I feel that's true yeah I mean I feel that he was a wonderful man but probably not the right leader for the context right and that's because he wasn't always decisive um so I'm I'm trying to think if it would have changed ear because I think one of the things that one of the thing that endear Renea to Kus at least is the fact that she is reluctant to go headlong into war she's looking for she is looking for ways to avoid it because I think she says it if I'm going to well she doesn't say it she means she thinks this if I'm if I'm going to send people to war send people to their deaths it better be for a good cause that's a big responsibility and I think having himself having been in war having been in battles I think he appreciates that a lot I don't I'm not sure if he I don't actually know if his his attitude to leadership has changed that much I don't know about you yeah I don't think it's necessarily changed I think fundamentally similar but it's just Ratched it up because of the context has become we're that close to it and it it seems to me like the the Reis the action that she took or in action the the decision not to act when she had the opportunity to destroy the entire green side um in episode n last season was this most magnificent example of truly great leadership great feminine leadership feminine not assigned to gender but leadership that is that whose principal energy is love and is compassion and that to me is the most the most important thing that we we all know the world needs left alone westos is a leader who can hold equally uh Power in one hand and loving the other do you accept me as your queen and ruler Harry I'm going to start with you cuz you have your work cut out for you at the beginning of this just with like really emotional beats the one in particular I wanted to ask about is can you tell me a little about preparing for and acting with Emma in the scene when he returns and the two of them have to mourn Luke together well I've never had a scene of that level uh before so I didn't really know where to start it's quite sad really I kind of just we have these tents on set that are quite private to us um and you I literally just closed up the zip I listened to some music I have this thing called a Jace Journal which is literally like this book that I bought from Amazon with a dragon on the front that I write in in Jace's point of view for like every moment that um and yeah I was writing in the Jace Journal listening to music and just naturally I started to feel like I was Jace and I have a little sister that would have been the same age as Luke um so everything just sort of weirdly connected and obviously you're filming that scene for a long time so it have to be sad for a long time so in lunch breaks and stuff you kind of find ways to get out of that moment and then to slowly come back but it was quite challenging but weirdly it all connected and hopefully it looks all right on screen it's a beautiful M you should be very proud of that got another heavy question for you because obviously he's encountered death over the course of his life but losing losing a brother who's kind of his best friend and also so close in age I have to imagine brings him closer to his own mortality than ever so how is that going to impact how he operates as war is brewing I think he's going to become much more rational Jace somewhat thought before his actions last time but now I think all he's thinking about is just revenge and you know it's his like like you said it's his little brother it isn't he's probably he's probably Luke was probably the last person he thought he was going to lose in this sort of debate so and it was just come as such a shock and it was Jay's idea right Jay said send us so he's going to feel a lot of responsibility for what has just happened I just feel like he's going to be very um angry and just emotional in general it's just a whole bundle of emotions that shouldn't really be together that will end up with him making a lot of rational um fast and not very good decisions my heart for Him watching that scene from season one to it never gets any easier it's incredible and I've rewatched the season too many times Bethany for you now with B she's had a lot of primary Guardians over the course of her life so I'm curious for you playing her which one of the bunch do you think has influenced the person she is in season 2 the most um I think for me it's rise I think it's the person that she spent most of her time with in her formative years she kind of went to W for Rise when Lena passed away and she stayed there until we met her at the time Jump in season one so I think in my own life like 11 to sort of 16 were they're like your formative years and I think that's that's when she spent most of her time with rise and I think she looks to her for kind of guidance on how to be and how to interact and what to do in these situations she sees her as such an icon but in terms of like you know her her immediate parental figures they haven't they haven't been there so that's really sad I feel like that's the best possible answer for her sake yeah yeah curious for both of you now with Damon being being a guardian also because we don't really get all that many I guess private moments between your your characters and him so how do they feel about him do they trust him as a leader of the blacks I don't think Baylor does no I don't weirdly I think Jace does I feel like he kind of admires Damon in a way um especially as Jace has not really had a predominant Father Figure really in the whole of his life he's always been very unsure um I feel like Damon he respects Damon for the way he works and not taking any rubbish from anybody as we saw in season one when he brutely chopped that guy's head off um but um yeah I think yeah I think he does um I think he does admire him he he looks up to him and he's a dangerous person to look up to but I feel like I always sometimes describe jaay as a as a want to be Damon and I and I do think he is I mean I could kind of see that yeah exactly Anthony did you say a terrible path trust no I think she doesn't trust him I think she doesn't trust him I think she looks to Rea for guidance out of the two of them all bayor really knows of him is him disappearing when things get get tough and she can't really understand that so I think she trust v a lot more than she paying attention to her there's just like one like mere second's worth of a scene where they walk past each other and he doesn't Hees even turn around and I think that speaks volumes to what their relationship is so true so true I have a dragon question for both of you when being an actor playing a scene when you're riding a dragon I want you to give me one Dragon riding do and one Dragon riding do not ooh oo do practice the commands over and over and over so you pronounce them correctly yeah yeah um don't lie in your fitting and say it's comfy when it isn't oh and then spend three weeks in pain you're wearing T I have to put you on the spot what's the what's the dragon riding command that you had the toughest time wrapping your head around what was the hardest one you know what actually was the hardest saying MO Dan in hiyan which is umos which is like you don't think that's going to be the name and like every time on the dragon I couldn't get the I couldn't get the rolling a I was like oh my God I'm saying it wrong but yeah beautiful too what are you do don't don't I'm not I'm not even speaking of experience because I genuinely didn't do this but don't be hung over if you're about to go on the rig um because who would want to do that before or get too carried away at catering that wouldn't be wouldn't be fun cuz there's quite a lot of motion with the rig um and but do uh I don't know have you got another do cuz you had more experience do watch pay attention when the stunt team are telling you how to sit on the dragon and don't fall off which did almost happen to me for context it's like a massive book and Bronco and you're just like and it's really hard to stay on and they kind of like float you into the air and you have to like cling on for due life so yeah very very fun I did not think they would be so eager to die when you're playing a character who is so manipulative and has to spark doubt in the viewers do you have to come up with an anchor of sorts with him something where no matter what he's scheming it's all based in some sort of consistency yeah I think so I I think it's it's genuinely wanting what's best for the other person is quite a good that's a good way of going this will really like actually genuinely believe that this will benefit them I think benefit them and not himself yeah that that that's what I tried to do is is sort of think just pretend to be their try and be their best friend oh that's so interesting I'm I'm going to bump this question up I was going to save it to the end but what do you think he ultimately wants if all of his plans worked out and he got to the end game that he wanted what might that look like for him I think he wants to make an impact I think he wants to make a change all his life he just was completely underestimated and nobody thought he could do anything I think he wants to make an impact I don't think he's he's about his ego or his name I don't think he I don't think he even needs people to know I think he wants to do it for himself it's not about carving his name on the tree he'd like to just cut the tree down do you think he knows the definition of the impact he even wants to have bigger the better maybe okay yeah that's fair I'll believe that um given I've already brought up that he Sparks doubt in viewers I'm curious about your answer to this question of all the main players in the show who do you think he trusts the most and who do you think he trusts the least who he trusts the most oh that's a really interesting question I don't think he trusts anybody I think because he I think he knows when most people are lying so I think he even when they're telling him a lie he sort of knows the truth so I I don't think he trusts anybody I don't think he sees people as I don't think he thinks of people like that who does he trust the least I don't I don't know that's a really difficult question I'm so sorry I'll add one WR good such a good question I feel like I'm just complicating this but I'll add one more wrinkle is there any character in this show that he fears knows more than he does yes I think there's there's people there there's people like uh who he's wary of like Otto who's incredibly intelligent masara is incredibly intelligent well actually there's so many people who he thinks are incredibly intelligent and who potentially would know more than he does I think that's why he's so cautious so yeah hu huge amount of that's fair I'd believe that curious a little bit about his tactics now especially as as we're basically jumping into full-blown war and he's one of few main characters we have that don't fight with dragons and swords he's using his intellect and his secrets so how do those tactics have to evolve when it's not just manipulating things on the level that was happening in season but he's doing so in the midst of full-blown war in season 2 well that's what I really like is you actually see him having to work harder this season and and failing and you see him trying to achieve something and then the board moves the players change and his plan that he had goes out the window and you see him having to Pivot and adapt sometimes he's successful and sometimes he's not so I you really see him having to work this season which is was really interesting to play how does he deal with a failure because I imagine he's not someone who lashes out when something doesn't go his way well no he has to to move on it's um and and quickly because that's the the pace of the show is sort of everything is gaining momentum and he has to be in a position of safety what about his limits is there in pursuit of what he wants is there any line he won't cross no makes him even scarier I have a a big uh seam partner question for you now because this Ensemble is absolutely exceptional you share a number of powerful moments with a whole bunch of people in it can you recall a time while making season 2 when a scene partner was just the person you needed and helped you access something in your own character that you wouldn't have been able to without them I mean older than really it's an it's a brilliant cast Olivia is just a brilliant actor and person and is always there is always present it's always really um engaging exciting and Tom and youan are just such impressive people such impressive artists to watch work and you can't help but up your game really when you're watching them work and um Fabs as well is just brilliant I'm doing that annoying thing we just listing oh we all get you know but it is it's such a wonderful group of actors to get to work with it's not annoying cuz it's true and everyone's exceptional and you should give them all a pat on the back I get it I get it I want to give I want you to give yourself a pat on the back now can you tell me something you accomplish in season 2 of House of the Dragon That season one you would go like my God I never thought I'd be capable of that with this character one day oh no um I didn't bump into the Furniture um no I I there's just more to do really it's sort of unfair on season one Lis but there is just more to to do there's more obstacles there's more um more more to show war is coming and neither of us may win so my first question for you is about the opening uh title sequence I'm curious what inspired such a drastic stylistic change and is that something something you're going to plan to do with each new season we're taking a season at a time I think but um I I think the coming out of season one which was so much about the ancestral history of this period in the Targaryen family feel felt like all those Bloodlines had been set and solidified after that so uh I think in looking at it and how do we evolve this sequence uh from here it didn't it didn't seem like we had much place to go because everybody that was essentially going to be born into this into this timeline was born and we understood that season one was much more about Bloodlines and marriages and and things like that season 2 is about this history that we're watching and it felt like the best way to dramatize that was in the way that many people in medal times recorded history which was with tapestry I we we we sent it out to sort of uh see if we could come up with a concept that we liked and uh this great title company called you and Co came back with it and we just loved what they did it's really uh the process that they use makes it it's very quick to sort of be able to manipulate and turn around so it creates potential for uh you know the sequence evolve as we as we move through the history so that was all very exciting uh to us and uh we like it and proud of it and I think it I think it works really well when I could make my whole interview about your title sequence alone you know you have landed on a good one I'll I'll jump from there to the dragons which I know everybody wants to know more about so we did get a lot of dragon sequences in season 1 there are more on the horizon in season two so can you tell me something you learned crafting Dragon scenes in season one that you think is going to make the season two ones even stronger there they're so involved that I think the the rule is that it always has to have a point in the story um you know we always talk about we don't want just scenes where the dragons are Ubers to get people from point A to point B I'd watch that too though and that's all it all it all is fun and sometimes there is a there is a nice um you know sort of cinematic point to be made with the the dragon taxi uh process but no I think I think the the me methodology that we probably improved the most from season 1 to season 2 is the buck workor that's the rider up on the saddle and we learned a lot in making season one the things that uh sort of you know sold the visual uh more more than others so we have this whole rules of dragon riding uh kind of manual that we have within within the production that's the you know from the lenses that you choose to where the where the camera is mounted we improve the articulation of the buck we improve the articulation of the camera arm that holds the camera to make it feel more like it's not like a Magic Camera that's just floating out in space but it's as you would in World War II it's mounted on another dragon that you can't see it's like so you know the way George Lucas shot the dog fights in Star Wars It's pled to plane filming so it feels like you're in the action so we've improved a lot of that stuff as we've gone along and part of that is just you see the show you make the show you're like that shot looks good I don't really buy that one how what's what's different about this than that and then sort of eliminating that and improving it as you go along well I have to follow up on the rule book can you tell me like the most random rule that would shock people from that book I mean I I think it's it's less rules and more guidelines I think it's really just the the camera has to be mounted to something believable otherwise it feels like a CG camera shot where this the camera is floating in space and you would think like mounted to what we're on a dragon we're up in the sky but when you when you see the shots that feel like you're in a something that's moving and the camera head is buzzing because it's not exactly you know physically screwed down to something th those sell sell the shots the most now to uh your human character so you have a lot of key characters to service here going into writing season 2 I guess which which one would you say surprised you the most in terms of how filling and creatively satisfying crafting their season 2 Arc wound up being oh interesting um it's Pro it's one of the new certainly one of the newer characters I think um the character the character that we just didn't spend a lot of time with in the first season and it was so rewarding to write stories for you know Egon and Aon and Helena and Jace and Baya and Raina but I think I think um Egon King Egon kind of sticks out uh the most there because I thought we had a good sense of him and who he was as a character in in season uh one but in then the crafting of season two we got to tell the story of this you know dilatant King who kind of gets put into a position that he's not quite prepared or trained or ready for because his father failed him and then seeing him try to step into these giant boots that you know viseris Left Behind for him with all this expectation sitting on his shoulders and seeing the incredibly human pathos that he he brings to it and this is not Joffrey 2.0 it's a much different much you know much more complex and nuanced character and uh and you know Tom gave us so much in the performance that we were able to write into it and I think uh you know I'm really really proud of the where where we begin with Egon and where we take him to at the end of the season I think it's I think it's a tremendously Dynamic Arc oh his ability to keep that human connection to the audience is very impressive I tend to get a little obsessed with with like last and first shots of shows and movies so I I'll stick with the first sequence of season 2 here in particular what was it like figuring out where you would kick off season 2 why particularly winterfall the Nights Watch in a way that's always what it was I think I think we just wanted to start there um because that's where we left we we know where Luke's diplomatic Mission went at the end of season one very sadly but we didn't see we didn't follow Jace on his diplomatic Mission so we want to see where that went and um this was a great way I think to remind people of the uh importance of the North in this in this in this world not only as a a region and a story in itself but also as a strategic Ally and and how you know winning the north is a big deal for uh for rira and Jason their side and it felt like the only real time to cover that in the narrative this is that we open in this place where this is the only place left on Earth that doesn't where where Luke is still alive where this news has not yet traveled because it's so far flung and so far away from King's Landing and you see J in this like Precious 5 minutes before this horrible thing that we all know has yet to reach him and the Raven is flying through the whole sequence you know to bring that news up there and I I find it incredibly affecting and and and and heartbreaking but it's also great to see you know Prince jeris coming into his own as a not only as a prince but a Statesman and going on this very tough mission to talk to the stoic leader of the Starks and try to convince him to send an army down to support his mother and I I love I love sequence and I I'm I I I think I'm very curious to see how it lands on the fans but I think there's a I don't know a nostalgic Sort of Homecoming feel to it that is really nice to begin the season with before everything gets really bleak