AKOT7K’s Finn Bennett Understands Aerion Targaryen’s Cruelty

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Spoilers ahead for “The Squire,” the third episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

A truly unpleasant new character has entered the scene in the third episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, titled “The Squire.” As Dunk and his young squire, Egg, prepare for the tournament at Ashford, they encounter the powerful Targaryen family: Prince Baelor, the future king, his brother Prince Maekor, and their nephew, Prince Aerion—known as Brightflame—who is portrayed by Finn Bennett, known for his role in True Detective: Night Country. Aerion quickly establishes himself as a cruel and formidable presence.

The jousting tournament quickly turns against Aerion when he deliberately injures his opponent’s horse, earning boos from the crowd, including a particularly vocal Egg. That night, his cruelty continues when he interrupts Tanselle’s puppet show, violently destroying it just as her character defeats a dragon. Egg tries to protect Tanselle, and Dunk intervenes, angrily attacking Aerion before being held back by the guards. Aerion, furious about Dunk loosening his teeth, vows revenge, threatening to stomp on Dunk’s feet. However, Egg suddenly reveals a shocking truth: he is actually Aerion’s brother, Aegon, and explains he cut off his long Targaryen hair specifically to avoid resembling the prince.

Bennett explains that Aerion took the puppet show as a personal insult, especially concerning his family. He believes Aerion’s biggest problem is his constant need for his family’s approval, stemming from a deep feeling of being unloved. Aerion sees seizing the crown as a way to earn their respect and believes his actions are what his uncle and father would have wanted, which justifies them in his mind.

It’s great that we can finally discuss Egg’s real identity and how important that will be to the story. When Egg first appeared, someone I was watching with immediately guessed he was Targaryen! I was surprised, because they were just going off his shaved head and confident attitude. I joked that they watch too much TV! I’m curious to see who else picked up on that hint before the reveal.

Beyond being a part of the popular show Game of Thrones, what interested you about the character of Aerion? Well, having a job is always great, of course. I’m still working as an actor, and finding roles can be tough. But landing a part in something as big as this feels really special.

It’s challenging to make an unlikeable character sympathetic. What sets Seven Kingdoms apart from the rest of Game of Thrones is that the story is told entirely through Dunk’s eyes. Because of this, it’s difficult to show the audience why a character is making certain choices – there are no inner monologues or moments of self-justification. Everything has to be conveyed through actions, which can be tricky and might not fully connect with viewers.

I was analyzing Aerion’s place in Westeros’s history – a rebellion is brewing, and the Targaryens’ long-held power is starting to slip. For him, this tournament feels like a humiliation, a situation beneath his station. Essentially, he’s incredibly bored and doesn’t want to be there. Then, in the third episode, a major complication arises, and Aerion seizes the opportunity to make a bold move, aiming to inspire both fear and respect. What really interests me about him is that, despite being vain and cruel, I believe he’s very deliberate in his actions.

You know, what really struck me about Game of Thrones was how crucial point-of-view was. Take Jamie Lannister, for example. He ended up being one of the characters I really rooted for, but honestly, if we hadn’t seen things from his side, he’d have just stayed a total jerk. I think that’s brilliant storytelling. And speaking of the Lannisters, they’re my absolute favorites from both the show and the books. Each one of them goes through this massive, satisfying transformation – a really well-defined character arc, which I always appreciate.

Playing a Targaryen meant following in the footsteps of actors who’ve really defined that family on screen. I definitely paid attention to their performances. As a fan of both the shows, it’s hard not to be influenced by such talented actors, but I also felt a need to create something new. What struck me about the previous Targaryens – Emilia Clarke, Matt Smith, and Emma D’Arcy, for example – was their incredible stillness and composure. I tend to be much more energetic, so trying to emulate that felt unnatural. I realized I needed to approach the character of Aerion differently. I wanted him to come across as frustrated, angry, and generally grumpy – almost like an annoyed teenager.

You know, when I was thinking about Aerion, my mind kept going to Viserys Targaryen – Harry Lloyd’s portrayal in the first season of Game of Thrones really stuck with me. Especially now that someone pointed out that Aerion feels like something’s been stolen from him, it really hits home. Viserys absolutely had that feeling – his birthright, his inheritance, was completely taken away from him.

We had a pretty clear idea of what Targaryens typically look like, so creating Aerion’s appearance involved a lot of discussion. It’s a testament to the hair and makeup team that the wig looked so natural! We talked a lot about whether to go with the traditional long Targaryen hairstyles, but I appreciate that they took a risk and went for something different. Westeros has its own history and changing trends, and I like that many characters have shorter hair in this era. I actually came to set with a shaved head, having just finished filming Warfare. We tried about eight or nine different wig styles. The first few were… not great – one looked like a classic rugby player’s mullet! Eventually, we shortened it and found a look that worked really well. I think the showrunner, Ira Parker, even liked my shaved head and considered keeping me that way, but we worried it might look a little too much like I was trying to be Slim Shady.

Putting on the wig definitely helped me get into character quickly. Absolutely. I started feeling moody the moment I put it on, and honestly, it also made me look a little bit like a jerk – which was perfect for the role.

The moment Aerion targets his opponent’s horse during the joust, it’s clear how awful his tactic is. We wanted to explore what that action revealed about his character. Was it simply a desperate attempt to win, or was it rooted in sadism? We didn’t see it as sadism at all. Aerion is a skilled fighter who entered the tournament determined to win. He initially faced opponents who were surprisingly talented. He also believes he’s above the rules – a bit of a dictator who can act with impunity. When staging that scene, we established that he doesn’t value living creatures, not even his own people. His only goal is to inspire fear and command respect, and he’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that.

The fight scene between Dunk and Aerion at the end of the episode was physically demanding because Peter, who played Aerion, is much bigger than me. One stunt involved me falling off a stage, and it genuinely hurt when I landed! Director Sarah Smith gave me a great direction: she told me to imagine I was a scientist examining a specimen, almost disappointed that it wasn’t reacting. Then, when Egg arrived, it gave me an excuse to really go for it and make the scene chaotic. I enjoyed moving around Peter, sometimes poking or prodding him, other times not touching him at all, and even avoiding eye contact. I loved how vicious and cruel the scene felt—it wasn’t about breaking bones, but about really dominating him. It was a very aggressive, thuggish fight, and honestly, it’s my favorite scene in the entire series.

I kept thinking about the movie American History X while developing the character of Aerion, particularly Edward Norton’s performance in it. It really influenced how I approached the role.

Based on their initial meeting, Egg and Aerion clearly don’t get along and aren’t likely to become friends. Before we see more of their dynamic, how would you define their relationship? It’s common to have family members you struggle to connect with, even though you share genes. They both need to deal with fundamentally disagreeing with each other’s beliefs. Aerion sees Egg as weak and perhaps shameful, while Egg strongly dislikes Aerion. Egg is unwilling to even try to understand Aerion’s perspective.

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2026-02-03 17:00