The cast of House of the Dragon has addressed a disturbing mother-son kiss scene, with reactions ranging from shock to disgust in an exclusive interview.
In the season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon, which aired on Sunday, June 21, Aegon’s family is left reeling from his sudden disappearance, while the chaos leads Aemond to make a shocking move as kissed his mother on the lips.
Ewan Mitchell and Olivia Cooke's reaction on House Of The Dragon Season 3 controversial scene
Ewan Mitchell, who played the role of Aemond told PEOPLE that It's a moment that "kind of makes you want to throw up in your mouth a little bit."
"Yeah, it's kind of shocking," he said before adding, "But then also, I just recognized a tremendous challenge and an opportunity to show Aemond in a new light."
"It's quite a difficult pill to swallow, isn't it? Kissing your mom on the lips, especially in that way," the Wuthering Heights actor revealed the details of the scene.
He went on to share, "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. And Aemond, because he never had that, he's got a very skewed perception and a very strange way of showing love."
"I think what you see in that scene in episode 1 is that skewed love," Mitchell noted.
As reported by the outlet, Olivia Cooke, who starred as Alicent shared that her onscreen son is "f---ed.”
"I think it was quite odd for both of us," she said of filming the scene with Mitchell.
"There has been this Oedipal undercurrent — unbeknownst to Alicent. And I think it's shocking," Cooke said, before adding, “The kiss is also "really dangerous, because he's a very dangerous person."
"She knows that one wrong facial expression, one perceived rejection, will cost her her life. So she's trying to tread very, very carefully," the Slow Heroes starlet mentioned, adding, "But I do think she's sort of stupefied in that moment."
House Of The Dragon Season 3 kissing scene
The shocking kissing scene in the Season 3 premiere of House of the Dragon takes place between Prince Aemond Targaryen and his mother, Alicent Hightower.
This highly uncomfortable and unexpected moment has completely broken the internet and kick-started intense debates among fans.
Notably,, this scene does not happen in the source material.
In George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, the relationship between Aemond and Alicent remains strictly political and familial.
House Of The Dragon season 3 kissing scene fans reaction
Soon after the episode premiered, the social media erupted with fans' reaction as many viewers were stunned.
One user wrote: "Alicent disgusted face after Aemond kissed her, Yo she is scared asf."
Another commented: "Aemond kissing his own mother just continues to show how psychotic he is ... Alicent looks frighted through it all."
While the third user on X said, “They’re taking this incest thing to another level. It’s surprising that Game of Thrones shows have received little to no backlash for the level of incest portrayal.”
House of Dragon Season 3
The acclaimed Game of Thrones prequel series has returned for an eight-episode run after a
two-year hiatus, picking up directly in the midst of the devastating Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.
New episodes air weekly on Sundays at 9:00 PM ET on HBO and stream simultaneously on Max.
The season will conclude with its finale on August 9, 2026.
