Director of explicit sex scene showing fully erect penis speaks out after controversial moment left viewers shocked
While House of the Dragon viewers can take dragons and incest with a pinch of salt, it seems that for some, an erection is a step too far
Fans of House of the Dragon were left dumbstruck following a very x-rated scene - and now the director has stepped in to defend her choice.
After what felt like the wait of a lifetime, we were finally fed the second season of the much anticipated fantasy drama.
Originally debuting in 2022, HOTD precedes the smash hit Game of Thrones.
It's set 200 prior to GOT, to be precise, and tells the story of a civil war - 'The Dance of the Dragons' - between Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother, Aegon Targaryen, following the death of their father, Viserys Targaryen I.
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And while fans are able to deal with mythical creatures such as dragons ruling the roost and the prevalence of incest, it seems they draw the line at an erect penis.
The most recent episode, 'The Burning Mill', shows Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) in the buff, flaunting an erection.
You probably want some context.
King Aegon Targaryen II (Tom Glynn-Carney) makes haste towards King's Landing's most high-profile brothel alongside his posse of squires, all the while hatching a plan to introduce one of them, who is a virgin, to one of the working women at the brothel.
Things didn't quite go to plan, though.
The King draws the curtains of one of the brothel's rooms and comes face to face with his younger brother, Aemond, who is engaged in an act with a sex worker.
The King then taunts Aemond, who then marches out of the room, completely naked, with an erection for good measure.
Fans were very shocked by the full frontal display.
One person wrote: "Great new episode of House of The Dragon but that brothel scene caught me off guard".
Another chimed: "I actually got embarrassed and covered my eyes LMAAOOOO."
Director Geeta Vasant Patel has now opened up about the choice in an interview with Variety.
She said: "Ewan is such a great actor.
"He understands what he needs to do in order to portray Aemond. When I spoke with him originally about the nudity, I said to him, 'Let’s just go through the story. If you don’t feel comfortable being nude, then you’re not going to be nude'."
She added: "Slowly he starts putting on his armour and when he stands up, the fact that he doesn’t care that you see his penis is such a strong visceral shift.
"And so, of course, Ewan was like, 'I want to be fully nude in that moment. It’s important to me because that’s who my character is. That’s what he would do.' And that’s what we did."
House of the Dragon is available to stream on NOW, with new episodes landing on Mondays.
Topics: Game Of Thrones, HBO, TV And Film, Sex and Relationships
Kya Buller