James Norton Discusses His Unique Death Scene in ‘House of the Dragon’
James Norton is sharing insights about one of the most unusual death scenes in ‘House of the Dragon’. The actor, who portrayed Ormund Hightower, spoke with Entertainment Weekly about filming the Battle of Tumbleton and the unexpected way his character met his demise in the Season 3 finale.
Warning: spoilers for the ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 finale follow.
Ormund’s death is far from the heroic exits seen by some characters in ‘Game of Thrones’. During the battle, he encounters Ser Roderick Dustin, played by Tommy Flanagan. After a fierce confrontation, Roderick loses an arm but manages to stab Ormund in a shocking manner. Norton mentioned that while the scene was intended to be surprising, the cast and crew had a lot of fun figuring out how to film it.
“There was a lot of fun around the idea,” Norton told Entertainment Weekly. He revealed that the original concept for the scene was even more extreme, with the stunt team filming various versions before ultimately deciding to tone it down.
“Initially, there were multiple thrusts,” Norton explained. “Then I think there was a consensus that that was probably a little too much.” He noted that this kind of creative process is common on ‘House of the Dragon’, where the team often explores the limits of a scene before settling on the final cut.
The battle took weeks to film due to the numerous elements that needed coordination. Norton shared that they filmed multiple takes of the fight between Ormund and Roderick, experimenting with different versions of Roderick’s missing arm and various stunt knives.
“We had to shoot so many different versions: one with [Roddy’s] arm, one without the arm, one with the real blade, one with the small blade, one with the floppy blade,” Norton recalled. He humorously noted the extensive discussions about the angle of the blade during the scene. “There was so much conversation around which angle the blade enters into Ormund’s a–hole.”
Ormund’s demise also features a memorable moment when blood splatters across his face, prompting him to vomit. Norton mentioned that this part was filmed at the end of a particularly hot day when time was running out. “We gotta get this. We can’t f— around now,” he recalled the crew saying.
The blood effect was less glamorous than it appeared on screen, with stunt coordinator Rowley Irlam manually throwing blood from a pot onto Norton’s face.
Despite the bizarre elements, Norton stated that the final death scene was never treated as a joke by the actors. He aimed for the moment between Ormund and Roderick to feel serious, with humor arising naturally from the circumstances. Norton described the two characters as an “odd couple” facing a shared fate.
As they await Ulf the White to unleash dragonfire, Ormund and Roderick gaze toward the sky together. “There was something quite sweet that Tommy and I, looking the same direction at the same inevitable fate happen,” Norton reflected.
Then came the obvious issue. “He happens to have a dagger currently stuck up my ass, but that’s sort of a detail by the by.”
For Norton, this strange blend of violence, drama, and dark humor encapsulates what made Ormund a standout character in ‘House of the Dragon’.
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