GUY AROCH

BY  HANNA FLINT

GAME OF THRONES was one of the few mainstream shows that put the Northern English accent on the map, thanks to the dulcet tones of the Starks. So it's somewhat bittersweet that Salford lad Tom Glynn-Carney's casting as Aegon Targaryen in HBO's prequel series, House of the Dragon, didn't provide an opportunity for him to keep his hometown lilt. "I'd love to be able to do my accent at some point in my career," he tells Men's Health over a Zoom call while in Paris for the show's season 2 press tour. "But when I do have to change my accent for any role, it feels like there's a healthy distance. I get to slip out of my skin and put that one on for a bit—that's why I love this job."

There's certainly a camaraderie both on set and in the wider industry for actors who hail from the northern parts of England. Olivia Cooke, who plays Glynn-Carney's onscreen mother, Alicent Hightower, is from Oldham, while twin knights Sers Erryk and Arryk Cargyll, aka Elliott and Luke Tittensor, are from Manchester, having launched their careers in the original British version of Shameless. "There's a mutual brotherhood; Shameless is a landmark in Mancunian history," Glynn-Carney says, before excitedly recounting the time he met fellow Salford actor Benedict Wong. "[We] met in a pub in London. It was my local at the time. I went over to him [and said], 'I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to say kudos, well done, and thank you for flying the flag.' We got chatting and realized we went to the same sixth form college [where students in England attend school from ages 16 through 18] and had loads of mutual friends."

Glynn-Carney plays Aegon II Targaryen, who takes the Iron Throne in Season 2 of HBO's House of the Dragon. 

OLLIE UPTON/HBO

Glynn-Carney studied musical theater at Pendleton Sixth Form College and later did three years at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. But his breakthrough role came in a project decidedly separate from the world of musicals: Christopher Nolan's 2017 World War II epic Dunkirk, where he played the son of Mark Rylance's boat captain who helps rescue British soldiers from the eponymous French city. The historical performances continued with a supporting role in the Timothée Chalamet–led Henry V adaptation The King, playing Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and 2019's Nicholas Hoult–led Tolkien biopic. Meanwhile, he continued to maintain a career onstage as well, making his West End and Broadway debuts in Jez Butterworth's acclaimed play The Ferryman, earning an Evening Standard Theatre Award for Emerging Talent for the stunning effort.

Now he's channeling his theatrical prowess into the Shakespearean levels of drama that House of the Dragon demands as the Seven Kingdoms prepare for civil war. Set 172 years before the arrival of Daenerys Targaryen, the show's season 1 finale saw Aegon swiftly and controversially crowned as king following the death of his dad, King Viserys (Paddy Considine). Season 2 kicks off with Aegon on the Iron Throne while first heir Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) builds a vengeful campaign to take it back from him. "It's the first time we've seen him with purpose," the 29-year-old actor says. "He's never had a reason to get out of bed. For anyone who's ever struggled with mental-health issues of any sort, routine and purpose are pivotal. I've experienced that in my life, and I wanted to bring that feeling to Aegon and see how much lighter he felt."

Here, Glynn-Carney talks through the brutality of shooting HBO's megahit fantasy series, navigating the show's stories of war and politics amidst harrowing similarities to real-life current events, and his own special set of skills.

MEN'S HEALTH: Hi, Tom! Or, I should say, "Bonjour!"

TOM GLYNN-CARNEY: Bonjour! Ça va?

MH: Oui, ça va. How is your French?

TGC: I can get by.

MH: Whenever I'm in France, if I try to speak French, I just get told, "Stop."

TGC: That's funny, isn't it? Because sometimes when you get into different countries, people encourage it more. The French are just like, "You know what, guys? We speak English. It's fine."

MH: How has the press tour been going?

TGC: Heavier this time, for sure. I was involved in a few bits and bobs [for season 1], but they didn't want to give too much away towards the end. You can't talk about episodes 8, 9, and 10 [at the start of the season] when you just show up [at the end]. But this time, you're fully into the fray.

MH: House of the Dragon is the most extensive thing you've done so far, but you've also done a lot of theater work. I saw you in The Glass Menagerie in 2022, so I have to ask about costarring with Amy Adams.

TGC: She's the most grounded, gentle, humble, kind, generous, selfless person. It was an absolute pleasure to work with her every day. It felt like going to work with your mate.

MH: How much has theater been a foundational space to prepare for something like House of the Dragon?

TGC: I couldn't be an actor without theater. It's where it all started, and it's where it should continue. For me, it's like sharpening all my tools, being braver with my decisions and becoming more comfortable with the idea of failing. You find magic in those moments when things can and have the potential to go wrong—it's dangerous and unpredictable.

MH: You get to edit as well. Every night you go onstage and can change the performance if you want.

TGC: Exactly. People talk about film being a director's medium, TV being a producer's medium, and theater being an actor's medium. You can tweak that as you see fit; there's no one stopping you once the curtains are up, and House of the Dragon is a nice hybrid of theater and the huge scale of film and TV that we can benefit from as well. There are a lot of comparisons I drew with Aegon from Shakespearean tales and characters and moments.

Glynn-Carney atop the Iron Throne in Season 2 of HBO's House of the Dragon.

OLLIE UPTON/HBO

MH: Any particular character?

TGC: Richard II. There's a huge comparison that runs almost parallel for their entire lifetime. And funnily enough, Richard II is one of the characters I have always wanted to play. So I'm doing it with a white wig on.

MH: I found an online actor profile from early in your career that lists out all of your skills. An asterisk next to the skill means "strong"—there are quite a few!

TGC: I'm talented. What can I say?

MH: Ballroom and Latin American dancing, contemporary dance, ballet, tap, jazz, and intermediate tumbling. That's gymnastics, right?

TGC: Yeah.

MH: What is diabolo?

TGC: Diabolo is like a circus skill with a stick and string. 

MH: Do we get any diabolo in House of the Dragon season 2?

TGC: Not from me, that's for sure. A lot of the things on that list I'll probably never use. When you're in third year of drama school, teachers try to oversell you as much as possible to give you every fighting chance. But it's hilarious looking back.

MH: I love the idea that you could have gotten a role because of your intermediate tumbling. Like it was between you and another guy, but he was only a beginner tumbler.

TGC: Exactly! [Dunkirk casting directors] John Papsidera and Toby Whale looked at my CV, showed it to Chris Nolan, and were like, "Look, this guy can do diabolo. Get him in your film for fuck's sake."

MH: And the rest is history! Seriously though, having every chance is important for people from the North, given the sheer distance from London opportunities. You've said in interviews that you recognize the privilege of your work, but when you started out what were your expectations versus the reality?

TGC: Privilege has come later in life. If you come from any sort of working-class, regional area, you have to put in extra graft and prove yourself way more. I have no nepotism or anything like that to draw upon. It was all down to me, what work I did, and any luck I could garner and utilize in a helpful way. But you need to be able to do accents if you come from the North, or you're only working in a very tight niche. I'm very lucky now, but maybe I've undersold the hard work and graft that went into it early and still does.

MH: What was the graft? Drama school in London is not cheap either.

TGC: Totally. Don't get me started on that. The graft started when I was about 14, trying to fill my head with as many scripts, playwrights, and films to educate myself. My parents were encouraging, but they weren't well-versed in film. The theater I was exposed to was amateur dramatic musical theater. That was a great education for me, but we never had the money to be going down to London to do trips to see things in the West End. Going to sixth form college, I met a lot of like-minded mates for the first time. I was kind of ostracized a little bit at school for liking theater and music. Art wasn't cool where I'm from, so it was always my tunnel vision to get to London and train at drama school for a while. I thought I wanted to do musicals, because that was all I was exposed to, but I plugged away with increasing my knowledge about theater and plays and Chekhov and Shakespeare. Also, I was like, "I don't think I want to dance forever."

If I get to dance in a film, there's one in particular I've got in mind, and I'm gonna put it out there—a Gene Kelly biopic.

Above: Actors Tom Glynn-Carney, Fionn Whitehead, Producer Emma Thomas, Director Christopher Nolan, Actors Harry Styles and Jack Lowden pose for Dunkirk Photocall on July 16, 2017 in Dunkerque, France.
LAURENT VITEUR/WIREIMAGE

MH: Did you have part-time jobs during your studies?

TGC: When I was in drama school, they said we weren't allowed to have part-time jobs, because we were in the school for about 12 to 13 hours a day. But I had to, because I couldn't afford to pay my rent. I used to go with my guitar to little restaurants and bars and ask if they needed any sort of entertainment or anything. I would sit in the corner and play.

MH: While shooting House of the Dragon season 2, what was your routine in terms of stamina and working on both your mental and physical strength?

TGC: Aegon moves differently to the way I move, so that can take its toll if you don't try and find a reset. I like to have a default level of where my body's at and always try to maintain either north or south of that, or I end up having issues. So lots of yoga or stretching, keeping fit, eating well, getting sleep. All that helps mental clarity, as well as being able to be at work and stay focused.

Last year was quite a tough year, dancing around personal stuff as well as the work. In hindsight, I think [the shoot] probably helped and came at a good time. You can help yourself by not going out on the lash every night. Treating yourself to the weekend, here and there, but mainly staying focused and getting the job done.

GUY AROCH

MH: You shot season 1 during the pandemic—how did things differ this time?

TGC: You could see each other and hang out! I remember doing season 1 and everyone was wearing masks. You'd get to know people by their eyes, and then we turned up at the wrap party and it was like I'd never met anyone.

MH: How much did reading George R.R. Martin's book help with your performance?

TGC: I knew [Aegon] was an integral role, but [when I was cast] it hadn't sunk in quite how pivotal he is. I read the book to have an idea of how George R.R. Martin had worded it and put it all together, and it reads as if it was a history from two separate accounts. I loved it, but I didn't let that particularly influence my choices for Aegon. I bring as much of myself in as I can. That's what I know and can make it relatable. I found it hard making comparisons with other performances. It's why I was a little hesitant about watching Game of Thrones.

MH: Tell us about Aegon's journey in season 2.

TGC: We've had about 10 days between the end of season 1 and the beginning of 2. He's had that time to calm down from the adrenaline of his coronation. The thrill of it, but also the threat of Rhaenyra. I wanted to bring some levity to it and kick off with a bit of a spring in his step. Someone optimistic. He's now navigating everyone else around him, the way that people are treating him, and enjoying this new respect he's been given. People are listening to him a little bit more, but he's also aware that there are people in that small council chamber that have been doing this for a long time. They are wary of him and his approach so will probably try to keep him on quite a tight leash. It's a battle that he's going to have to fight eventually.

MH: How often are you dragon riding? Can we add it to your special skills?

TGC: They can put an asterisk next to it! It's this big metal plate on hydraulic legs. It tips you around, and they swap out the saddles depending on which dragon is meant to be ridden. We've got wind machines and screens that show very limited but helpful visuals for eyeline and direction.

MH: "To war, then" is one of your lines. War is political. Art is political. What do you think House of the Dragon says about politics and conflicts today?

TGC: There have been many stories told about war, conflict, and division, but that's up to the audience to decipher rather than me telling them what we're trying to do. We're not trying to educate in any particular way.

If people see comparisons, that's their interpretation of it, and they're well within their right to make those comparisons. Our main focus with the show is to provide an escape and not try to spoon-feed or stand on a political side of the fence. We're making a fantasy show. You close the curtains, turn your phone off, and watch it for an hour a week. Escape for that time, and then we can all come back and try and deal with the atrocities in the world at the moment.

MH: A storyline late in the season's first episode is that Aegon's child gets beheaded. How do you feel about that coming out? It's hard to escape from what's happening in the world right now when you're seeing the same horrors play out onscreen.

TGC: Yeah, of course. It's unfortunate. It's poignant. I don't think there's ever good timing for showing your child being beheaded. It's tough. It's just a bit of a nightmare.

MH: It's scary. What was your first reaction when you read the scripts?

TGC: It was just relentless. I remember being exhausted after reading just one episode. I could only read one every two days to let it sink in and be like, Right, get back into it. It's visceral.

MH: How did you disentangle yourself from Aegon and House of the Dragon?

TGC: I've got lovely friends and family around me and felt very lucky in that sense that I just get to be me for a bit. Don't get me wrong—that gets boring, and I don't like being me all the time. That's why I like doing this job. Acting is a big part of who I am, but it's not who I am. It's not what I am. I've just got to fill my time with other people and things that make me feel like me, you know?

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