James Norton, who portrays Ormund Hightower in HBO's 'House of the Dragon,' discussed his approach to developing the character's distinctive personality for the series. Norton explained that while Ormund is mentioned in George R.R. Martin's books, the source material offers a more clinical, distant view, providing the show's creators and himself with a "blank slate" to explore his inner life.
Norton collaborated with showrunners like Ryan Condal to make Ormund "delicious, and eccentric, and dangerous," adding multiple facets to make him unpredictable. Alicent Hightower, played by Olivia Cooke, describes her brother Ormund as seeing himself as a scholar who despises ignorance, while Freddie Fox, who plays Gwayne Hightower, noted Ormund's youthful cruelty and "Machiavellian intelligence."
A notable trait of Ormund's is his heightened sense of smell, often expressed by him sniffing a pomander he carries. Norton views this quirk as crucial, speaking to a personality that is both vulnerable and dangerous. He believes this sensitivity to external stimuli, like uncontrolled chewing gum noises which personally agitate him, reflects Ormund's need for control. This need for order is disrupted when he receives bad news, leading to an explosive outburst where he attacks a table with his Valyrian steel sword, Vigilance, a scene that occurs in Episode 4.
The pomander itself is filled with real spices, dried fruits, and herbs, with Norton participating in selecting the components. The specific scent the props department used daily for the pomander was lavender oil. Norton revealed that lavender is effectively "my scent" as Ormund.
Looking ahead, Norton teased the show's depiction of the Battle of Tumbleton, one of the most brutal events in Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. While being coy, he described the upcoming battle as "spicy," suggesting it will be a satisfying, albeit intense, event for viewers. 'House of the Dragon' airs Sundays at 9 PM ET on HBO and streams on HBO Max.