House of the Dragon director had good reason for Aemond’s full-frontal nudity

House of the Dragon’s ‘The Burning Mill’ director has addressed that shocking nude scene with Aemond, revealing the logical reason as to why the nudity was necessary.

Nudity is not unheard of in the Game of Thrones small screen universe, but Aemond’s naked walkout in Season 2 Episode 3 left jaws on the floor. Not just because of the unabashed full-frontal nudity, but because of the horrifically awkward nature of it.

After Aegon stumbles across his brother in a brothel, curled up with the Madame, he exploits Aemond’s vulnerability by mercilessly teasing him. Needless to say, it’s Aegon’s most tactless move to date.

When he’s had enough, Aemond stands up and walks out, completely nude. The moment has quickly circulated on social media, proving to be one of the most shocking moments of House of the Dragon Season 2 so far.

But, according to the director, Geeta Vasant Patel, there was actually an emotional reason behind it.

HBO

“What we came to is that Aemond was hurt,” she explained to Variety. “He was bullied when he was little. Since he was hurt, he had created this persona that was the exact opposite of how he was feeling. He created the persona of someone who is callous and has no regard for what others think of him.

“That shift, from someone who’s vulnerable to literally watching him put on his armor, was what we were going for. It’s one of the few times you see the young child in him and you see the pain in him.

“Slowly he starts putting on his armor and when he stands up, the fact that he doesn’t care that you see his penis is such a strong visceral shift.”

What’s more, Aemond actor Ewan Mitchell opted to go full-frontal in the scene for authenticity. According to the star, it’s a true Aemond move.

“Ewan was like, ‘I want to be fully nude in that moment. It’s important to me because that’s who my character is. That’s what he would do.’ And that’s what we did,” she added.

With more than half of House of the Dragon Season 2 to come, there’s still plenty of time for Aemond’s scene to be topped by more shocking moments. Make sure you bookmark the House of the Dragon Season 2 release schedule, so you don’t miss a thing.

For more, check out our guides to all the Targaryen kings and Alys Rivers. Or, find out how Aemond dies in the books.