The war is here! House of the Dragon Season 2 has officially debuted on HBO and Max. And as you can see, so far it’s even more exciting than the first! The conflict between Team Green and Team Black has commenced. And we had a chance to hear both parties discuss the latest season. Here’s our interview with Team Green members Olivia Cooke, Phia Saban, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, and Matthew Needham.

We were given the opportunity to have several minutes with separate interviews for Cooke (Alicent Hightower) and Saban (Helaena Targaryen), Glynn-Carney (Aegon Targaryen), Mitchell (Aemond Targaryen), and Needham (Larys Strong). And they all had the most interesting responses to our questions, teasing us with so much info about what Season 2 has in store for us. Here’s what they all had to say:

COOKE AND SABAN

The Nerds of Color: One of the things I love about the series is how powerful the wonderful feminist messages are. With Helaena, Alicent, or Rhaenyra, we have characters impacted unfortunately by the decisions of the men around them, whether it’s Aemond, Larys, or Daemon. Are those themes at the forefront of your mind when you go into the performances on set? And how does that impact your performance or enhance it?

Cooke: I don’t think it’s something that I think of ever, really. It’s sort of my body, and my experiences as a woman to be overlooked and not listened to, and undermined, and patronized… that I don’t think of it. I’m just coming with subterranean levels of that already.

Saban: Totally. And I think what’s true about this world of the show, is that there’s a huge amount of internalized misogyny…I think there are moments where there is an acute feeling of injustice. But I do think it’s extremely normalized. And I also think it’s inflicted by women on to other women. And so it’s more like maybe if they had a moment where anybody asked any of them how they’re doing, or “do you want to talk to someone about it?” there might be a moment where they’d realize “you know what? I think as a woman it’s not great for me.” But I think it’s so immediate to them and so ingrained.

Cooke: And things are happening so fast. They’re on the cusp of a civil war. There’s no time for self reflection.

GLYNN-CARNEY

The first time we see Aegon butting heads with Otto he’s got a counsel meeting. And he’s trying to be a really good king, and be there for his people and grant wishes. And that’s a difference between him and rulers like Joffrey. When of course things happen in the “Blood and Cheese” scene, there’s a change. He uses his power to go after everyone. Do you think that’s the exact moment that changes him? And do you think it’s a permanent change or do you think he’s still trying to persist in being a good king and father at the same time?

Glynn-Carney: Oh yeah. There’s no denying that is catastrophic in terms of the fallout of that. That’s going to be something that’ll stick with him forever. I don’t think you fully digest that at any point in your life. You’re stained forever from that point on. I think it fuels his resentment and hatred and bitterness — this bile he feels towards Team Black and Rhaenyra in particular. And I think he needed that catalyst in terms of waking him up… It comes at a really good time in the story after seeing him wear the crown and stand straighter and take on the responsibilities, owning the purpose that he’s now got. That shift is something that completely throws him into a downward spiral. But we see him become more driven on his goal. He’s got tunnel vision now.

The chemistry between you, Ewan, and Phia — playing siblings — but overall as actors is strong. What’s it like just hanging out with them off set? Did you guys end up getting close in the past two years?

Glynn-Carney: I’ve made some of my best friends on this show. And thank God, because I’ve been doing it a while. Yeah. Everyone’s so wonderful. Phia Saban is one of the talents of her generation. She’s spectacular and I cannot wait for this to come out and for everyone to see what she’s capable of. She’s absolutely stunning. And Ewan equally, he’s amazing. And they’re such nice people to be around every day. There’s not a bad egg amongst this cast and crew. Everyone gets on. And when we returned to Season 2, it was like getting back to being best pals. It was great!

MITCHELL

We had the opportunity to talk to Tom, and he mentioned things between Aegon and Aemond become more antagonistic this season. Now he didn’t spoil anything. But I wanted to see how working together this season differed from working with him last season? Did you feel that antagonism?

Mitchell: Certainly not off of set. Working with Tom is one of the best parts of the job. It’s the amount of preparation he does when he’s off set, because on set he’s on it. But yeah I think Aemond believes Aegon lacks the perseverance to be king. He feels he squandered his inheritance. While Aemond was in the Red Keep yard training with Criston Cole and studying with the maesters, he knew Aegon was somewhere in Flea Bottom. And yeah, there’s an interesting dynamic there in that Aegon even says himself in Season 1, he doesn’t even wish to be king. And you can see how to members of the small council that can be seen as quite lucrative because that’s someone you can control or steer in a certain direction. Whereas Aemond, you can argue, has a political agenda and ambition. You can imagine that’s a little harder to control, but which one is, I’m not too sure.

This is going to be a very silly question, but can you talk about the physical challenge of having to wear the eye patch all this season versus not the full season in Season 1? Did that mess with your vision at all, and are you okay?

Mitchell: Yeah! For sure. It informs your character so much. Maybe when I run downstairs or walk upstairs, I just need to see where the first step is so I won’t trip up. But other than that, it’s the cherry on top when it comes to Aemond. When the eye patch goes on it’s really claustrophobic in a sense, and it really does shift your… I always think of Shakespeare and what he said. The eyes are the windows to the soul. And what does it mean to only have one. And in the socket you have a sapphire gemstone. So do you compensate through physicality? It’s super transformative for sure!

NEEDHAM

Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon fans are among the most rabid on Earth. So when it comes to playing parts that are somewhat more antagonistic, those passionate fans really rally up and let you know it. Has that been your case playing Larys? Have you been receiving so much hatred and vitriol from people?

Needham: HA! Well I don’t think I’d be doing my job if I wasn’t. I remember Miguel [Sapochnik] said in the first series that he was editing a scene, and started dancing around the editing suite going, “I’ve got my villain, I’ve got my villain!” Yeah, it’s kind of my job to be the most hated man on the planet, so it’s all good! And yeah the fans are great. You say Game of Thrones fans and House of the Dragon fans are wild. It’s great. They’re loose and they love f**ked up s**t. And Larys does some f**ked up s**t. So it’s great! It’s all good!

So we establish firmly that Larys is Team Green, but even within Team Green, there’s a little bit of division as well. Especially when it comes to Alicent and Aegon and their motivations. We know Criston Cole is caught in between them. Where does Larys stand, given he has some sort of infatuation with Alicent, but would want to rise up the ranks and would need Aegon for that?

Needham: I think he’s more interested in influencing the more powerful person. It’s always been tilling the Earth around Aegon and now it’s time to reap the harvest. He can see Aegon is, sort of like him, feels underestimated and disrespected and isn’t being taken seriously. And I think Larys can be all things to all men. And he sees that what Aegon really needs is somebody to respect him. To sort of say, “you are your own man. You do you, boo.” And that’s how he approaches him. Because Aegon’s not getting that anywhere else. So of course he’s going to sort of revert back to the friendly voice.

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So fascinating! We’ve had some terrific interviews so far for House of the Dragon, including our recently published interview with showrunner Ryan Condal, and our coverage of the epic press conference as well. But stay tuned tomorrow for our interviews with Team Black, including stars Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Matt Smith, Fabien Frankel, Harry Collett, and Bethany Antonia!

And don’t forget to catch the Season Premiere of House of the Dragon Season 2, now on HBO and Max!