House of the Dragon stars and creator explain the shocking incest scene as people left horrified

House of the Dragon‘s season three premiere had loads of people talking, mostly because of the very uncomfortable incest scene, and now the cast and creator have explained why it happened and what it actually meant.

People were left stunned when Prince Aemond Targaryen shockingly kissed his mother, Alicent Hightower, during a conversation. That scene went viral, with people calling it “gross”, “unnecessary” and even the “most disturbing” scene in the show’s history.

Now, the stars involved and the showrunner, Ryan Condal, have all spoken out about the controversial moment. And they explained why it happened and what it was actually supposed to mean.

Ewan Mitchell admitted the scene was difficult to film

Even Ewan Mitchell, who plays Aemond, admitted the scene shocked him. Speaking to PEOPLE, the actor said, “Yeah, it’s kind of shocking. But then also, I just recognised a tremendous challenge and an opportunity to show Aemond in a new light.”

He also admitted the kiss itself wasn’t easy to get his head around. “It’s quite a difficult pill to swallow, isn’t it? Kissing your mom on the lips, especially in that way.”

In fact, he joked that filming it “kind of makes you want to throw up in your mouth a little bit.”

But Mitchell stressed that Aemond’s actions come from years of emotional damage rather than romance. He explained, “I mean, Aemond, growing up, he never felt like he was loved enough by his mom and his family around him. And a kid needs that unconditional love to develop a balanced view of themselves.”

He added, “And Aemond, because he never had that, he’s got a very skewed perception and a very strange way of showing love.”

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly Mitchell also said, “In Aemond’s head, it’s like he’s assuming control of the family.”

He compared his character to Ray Winstone’s role in Scum, adding, “He’s the new leader.”

Mitchell also pointed to everything Aemond has gone through over the years. He got bullied for not having a dragon, for losing an eye, and his experiences in the brothel introduced in season two.

Summing up his character, he quoted the proverb, “The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.”

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Olivia Cooke said there has ‘always’ been an undercurrent

Olivia Cooke, who plays Alicent, admitted she understands why viewers were shocked. She told PEOPLE, “There has [always] been this Oedipal undercurrent – unbeknownst to Alicent. And I think it’s shocking.”

She also described Aemond as “f**ked.”

Cooke explained that Alicent isn’t encouraging the moment at all. Instead, she believes her character is frightened of her son because of how dangerous he has become.

She said, “[Alicent] knows that one wrong facial expression, one perceived rejection, will cost her her life. So she’s trying to tread very, very carefully. But I do think she’s sort of stupefied in that moment.”

The actress also admitted filming the kiss with Mitchell felt “odd for both of us.”

Ryan Condal explained what the scene was really about

Loads of people assumed the kiss was included purely for shock value. But showrunner Ryan Condal said the scene is actually about Aemond’s childhood trauma and how it shaped him.

He explained to Entertainment Weekly, “He’s somebody that was traumatised at an early age by his brother by taking him to a brothel long before his brain could probably process what was happening.”

Condal continued, “As these things do, that trauma then manifests a certain way in his behaviour as an adult.”

He then added, “While I don’t think that Aemond is necessarily in love with his mother, I don’t think he’s able to separate the feelings that he has for her from these other male feelings that he experiences.”

Condal also pointed out that Alicent has experienced her own trauma after being groomed by her father and married off at a very young age. This made the relationship between the two characters even more emotionally complicated.

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