Ewan Mitchell and Tom Glynn-Carney Are Ready for the Throne
Guy Aroch
The House of the Dragon brothers are having a smoke outside their hotel, looking like the most famous British rockers who never existed. Thereâs Ewan Mitchell, twenty-seven, whose six-foot frame is hidden by a baggy black hoodie and sweatpants. At his side is Tom Glynn-Carney, twenty-nine, slightly shorter, looking proper as heck: newsboy cap, cords, the works. Theyâre so perfectly, lazily, and hilariously draped against the Soho Grandâs brick exterior that I expect someone to ask for an autograph thinking theyâre Cambridge Asylum (my name for their fictional band), not Aemond and Aegon Targaryen.
Guy ArochJacket, trousers ($1,500), shirt ($1,100), and sunglasses ($460), Celine Homme by Hedi Slimane; High Jewelry chain bracelet and signet ring ($20,000) by David Yurman.
We meet up inside the hotelâs restaurant and order drinksâbeers for Tom and me, just a Coke for Ewan. Before we get to their hit Game of Thrones prequel (season 2 debuts June 16), we address the latest sign of the apocalypse: the magnitude 4.8 earthquake that hit the New York City area earlier that day. âWe did not feel that,â says Mitchell with genuine FOMO. âWe were getting dressed. Maybe because we were on one leg putting on trousers.â âMaybe we were hovering for a moment,â adds Glynn-Carney. âHigh on life, baby.â
In this alt-reality-Oasis thing the two have going on, Mitchell is the shy, sensitive one. (âIâve heard online that Iâve got a pussycat face or something. I do something with my lips. I pout.â) And Glynn-Carneyâwho until recently was actually the lead singer of an indie folk band called Sleep Walking Animalsâis the guy whoâll match you Guinness for Guinness. (When the server hands me a beer: âOh, here we go. Here we go. This is what you need. Come on. Hey!â)
Guy ArochSuit ($6,095) and sunglasses ($813) by Brunello Cucinelli; lock pendant ($14,200) by Tiffany & Co.
The two onscreen siblings are in town from England for a weekend of early House of the Dragon promotion. Theyâre taking over leading-men duties for the HBO series, which is a Succession-esque tale focused on the Targaryen family, told nearly two hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones. (Glynn-Carney: âNot that it needs any advertising at all, but Game of Thrones is fucking amazing.â) Season 1 of House of the Dragon largely followed younger versions of their characters (played by different actors), the never-not-bickering brothers Aegon and Aemond. The final three episodes reintroduced the siblings at ages 21 and 18, respectively: Aegon (Glynn-Carney), the reluctant misfit chosen to sit on the Iron Throne, and Aemond (Mitchell), the cunning younger brother who wants to usurp him.
Guy ArochJacket ($2,650) and shirt ($1,790) by Fendi Mens. Ring ($148,500) by Reza.
âIn the last three episodes of season 1, I presented a character that was entirely black,â says Mitchell. âIn season 2, I canât wait to turn him gray.â And Aegon? âHe comes into his own as an unpredictable live wire,â says Glynn-Carney. âHeâs intensely ambitious and incapable of pursuing the things he sets for himself.â
Keep in mind: House of the Dragon is based on George R. R. Martinâs Fire & Blood, so die-hards already know what happens to Aegon and Aemond. Or do they? âThe books are the foundation of where weâre going narratively, but things are tweaked,â says Glynn-Carney. âItâs the bible, but itâs also not. The writers of our show are brilliant and should be given credit for their creation. George R. R. Martin should be given credit for his creation. But theyâre not the same thing.â
Guy ArochSuit ($6,095) and sunglasses ($813) by Brunello Cucinelli; lock pendant necklace ($14,200) by Tiffany & Co.
So how long should fans expect Mitchell and Glynn-Carney to don their Targaryen locks? âWeâve been told at least twenty-five years,â Glynn-Carney says drolly. âNo, fuck. Itâs all up in the air, mate.â Says Mitchell: âIâm speaking from an angle of not knowing anything about the plan, but I highly doubt theyâll do what they did with Game of Thrones and carry on after the book finishes.â He adds, âI think our story will run its course and everyone will move on.â
Guy ArochCoat ($3,495) and suit ($3,295) by Ralph Lauren Purple Label; Laureato Evergreen watch ($14,300) by Girard-Perregaux. On Glynn-Carney: Shirt ($1,250) and trousers ($1,375) by Loro Piana; boots ($965) by Guidi; Serpenti Viper ring ($2,360) by Bulgari.
You get the sense that these twoâas happy as they are to beef with each other in Westerosâdonât want to do it forever. There should be no shortage of projects to choose from post-Dragon. Glynn-Carneyâs breakout role was in a little film called Dunkirk, and we know that Christopher Nolan loves repeat collaborators. Mitchell is no stranger to working with auteurs himself; the man is such a chameleon that you probably didnât even realize he was in Emerald Fennellâs Saltburn, screaming, âFUCKINâ ASK ME A SUM THEN!â at Barry Keoghan.
Guy ArochJacket ($4,300), trousers ($1,025), and tank ($750) by HermeÌs; sneakers ($60) by Vans; Love necklace ($2,710) by Cartier. On Mitchell: Jacket ($6,440), trousers ($2,080), and shirt ($790) by Brioni; shoes ($1,445) by Christian Louboutin.
âI loved you in this knitwear in that film,â Glynn-Carney quips. âYou can pull off a chunky knit.â
âI need to buy more of it. I just wear lots of Adidas, whatever that says.â
âSatan. Thatâs what that says. Heâs a satanist.â
Guy ArochSuit ($3,300), shirt ($700), and sunglasses ($550) by Dior Men; loafers ($1,995) by Christian Louboutin; socks ($31) by Falke; watch ($23,700) by Vacheron Constantin.
Thisâll sound like bullshit, but it rings true with these two: Theyâre simply happy to be here and grateful for the success thatâs come their way so far. Mitchell thinks of it in terms of how he measures many things in life: by Great (but Slightly Cheesy) American Movie Moments. âGood Will Hunting is one of my top ten films,â he says. âI love that line that Ben Affleck says to Matt Damon: If you donât do it for you, do it for meâbecause Iâd give anything to have what youâve got. My mates back home work in construction. Thereâs things that they have that I want and things that I have that they want.â
Glynn-Carney chimes in: âChecking your privilege, ainât it?â
âYouâve got to check yourself to be grateful.â
Guy ArochJacket ($3,695) by Giorgio Armani; T-shirt ($85) by ATM; Naga Y necklace ($1,995) by John Hardy.
As we wrap up around 8:00 p.m., Glynn-Carney and Mitchell ponder the next dayâs official duties. (Glynn-Carney: âI just wish there was puppies involved.â) I ask if theyâre heading to bed.
âIt feels stupid to go to bed when youâre in Manhattan,â Glynn-Carney says. âBut then again . . .â
âA shower would be nice!â Mitchell interjects.
âItâs a good start,â Glynn-Carney says. âA shower.â
Guy ArochJacket ($4,300), trousers ($1,025), and tank ($750) by HermeÌs; sneakers ($60) by Vans; Love necklace ($2,710) by Cartier. On Mitchell: Jacket ($6,440), trousers ($2,080), and shirt ($790) by Brioni; shoes ($1,445) by Christian Louboutin.
Opening image credits: On Glynn-Carney, left: Suit ($4,900) and shirt ($1,550) by Gucci; Constellation Globemaster watch ($7,900) by Omega; necklaces, bracelets, and earring, Glynn-Carneyâs own (worn throughout). On Mitchell, right: Suit ($4,800) and shirt ($850) by Gucci.
Story: Brady Langmann
Photographs: Guy Aroch
Styling: Nick Sullivan
Grooming: Melissa DeZarate, using La Mer and Kevin Murphy
Tailoring: Joseph Ting
Design Director: Rockwell Harwood
Contributing Visuals Director: James Morris
Executive Producer, Video: Dorenna Newton
Executive Director, Entertainment: Randi Peck
This article appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of Esquire
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