As the newly crowned ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, staying true to himself is important for Tom Glynn-Carney. Amid a whirlwind press tour, the House of the Dragon star has relied on his own clothes and vintage items to stay grounded on the red carpet. “I like the clothes that I wear in my personal life so that’s why I try to incorporate them into [press looks],” he says, speaking from his London hotel room. “They’re a bit of me. That’s how I like to go about doing press: just be authentic as best as I can.”
For the show’s second season premieres in New York, Paris and now London, Glynn-Carney has avoided being tied to just one brand and just one fit. “Sustainability is a big thing in my life, it’s something I’m very passionate about,” he says. “The whole idea of single-use outfits just grinds my gears, it’s totally unnecessary.” He and his stylist Tom O’Dell have spent the year browsing vintage markets and second-hand stores for unique pieces they can fuse together for a big look. “It’s all preloved and it tells a story – not just from a sustainability point of view but it’s about its character and how things have aged.”
As the sullen, calculating Prince (now King) Aegon II Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Carney has a major season teed up, and he’s taken the promotion in his stride. “It’s nice to get your teeth into,” he says. “You can take the character on a full arc and find lots of different colours to his palette, which is always interesting from an actor’s point of view. I feel like by the end of season two, I know Aegon so much more than I did at the end of season one.”
Because few people in Westeros stay in power for long, Glynn-Carney hasn’t allowed himself to get too comfortable on the throne. “I feel like on that set, it’s such an ensemble-led project and everybody has their own moment. There doesn’t feel like any hierarchy in that sense but, obviously, when I put the crown on my head, I’ve got to convince myself I’m more important.” It also means he’s been sitting on a mountain of spoilers. “I know everything!” he says. “I can’t say a word.”
But how does the show’s latest King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men dress when he’s off the clock? “Ooooh, now you’re asking!” he says. “Uh, pyjamas or just me pants.” The serious answer: Glynn-Carney lives in the countryside now – his Instagram bio reads ‘aspiring farmer’ – so practicality is important. “If I’m out by the woodshed I’m gonna get caked in all sorts of crap so [I wear] stuff that I’m not too precious about,” he says. “I don’t think I own anything that’s new anymore, I’ve tried to weed that out, and any new purchase is always second-hand.” It also helps that he has Joe Mills, his grooming guy, on-hand too.
Glynn-Carney’s fit for the House of Dragon London premiere is something he’s already worn before. “It’s a 1970s pinstripe suit. It’s brown with caramel pinstripe, high-waisted, slightly flared trousers,” he says. “I wore it for a stock photoshoot a few months back and I liked it so much I wanted to nail that on for one of the major looks for this tour.” He found a dream stylist in the form of O’Dell, who specialises in second-hand clothing and has connections with vintage stores all over Europe. “His studio is just a Mecca for all of that stuff,” he says. “I trust him wholeheartedly to be able to point me in the right direction.”
Glynn-Carney’s look was sourced entirely from Hunky Dory on Brick Lane. “It was the first thing we picked up and it all fit like a glove. You would never find an outfit like that anymore, no one makes things like that anymore,” he says. Glynn-Carney has such sway on the red carpet, that he even inspired his co-star Fabien Frankel: “For the record, [Fabien] copied me, so write that down!”
