Diksha Sundriyal
The third season of HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ intensifies the fight between the Blacks and the Greens as loyalties shift and strange alliances are formed. The second season ended with Alicent making a deal with Rhaenyra. However, too many pieces are in motion, and things get even more unpredictable with each move. While Alicent may have decided to switch sides, her family, the Hightowers, are still loyal to Aegon. They pose a grave threat to Rhaenyra’s forces, particularly with Ormund Hightower in charge. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Ormund Hightower is a Major New Character in HOTD Season 3
Ormund Hightower is the son of Hobert Hightower, Otto’s elder brother. This makes Ormund Alicent’s first cousin. In the third season of the show, he also serves as the head of House Hightower following his father’s death. This puts him in charge of the Hightower army, basically putting him in a critical position in the war. He is one of the richest men in Westeros at the time, with a strong army that is marching towards King’s Landing to lend support to Aegon’s forces. Interestingly, he also has Alicent’s youngest son, Daeron, under his wing. The Targaryen, who rides the dragon Tessarion, serves as Ormund’s squire.
In the books, Ormund is mostly on the sidelines, fighting battles with Daeron and his dragon with his army. Like most other characters, things don’t end well for him, but the show is still far from that point. The series considerably expands his role, making him one of the more important characters in the third season. When we meet him, he and his army have camped along the Roseroad. They left Oldtown last season, but are still far from King’s Landing.
With Aegon fleeing the city, Aemond takes complete control, waiting patiently for his uncle’s forces to arrive. Alicent’s desperation to end the war (and the fact that Daeron is still untouched by it) as quickly as possible leads her to send a letter to Ormund to stay put, which means he doesn’t get much action in the first episode. However, he will eventually become a critical part of the story that is meant to end in tragedy for everyone.
James Norton Takes on Ormund Hightower in House of the Dragon
British actor James Norton plays Ormund Hightower in the third season of ‘House of the Dragon.’ The actor is best known for playing the villainous psychopath, Tommy Lee Royce, in the BBC’s ‘Happy Valley.’ His more recent roles include Sean Rafferty in ‘House of Guinness‘ and Harold Godwinson in ‘King & Conqueror.’ The BAFTA and Olivier-nominated actor found his love for acting and filmmaking at a young age. He acted in and created little projects from a young age, and spent a lot of time at youth theatres. However, he never seriously considered it as a vocation.
Norton went to Cambridge University, where he studied theology, but even in the middle of that, he found side projects to keep his creative juices flowing. He performed in plays at the Marlowe Society, the ADC Theatre Club, and the Edinburgh Fringe. It was when his then-girlfriend, who was a cinephile, advised him to go to drama school that he started to think about a career in acting. He confessed that at the time, he didn’t know that that was an option for him, but once the idea took hold, he decided to jump into it headfirst. He was accepted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, but he dropped out six months before graduation after landing a major role.
Slowly but steadily, Norton built a filmography with diverse roles, and the success of ‘Happy Valley‘ turned him into a household name. He went on to appear as John Brooke in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Little Women,’ Bob Edwards in Netflix’s ‘Joy,’ and Robert Freegard in ‘Rogue Agent.’ He is also set to star as the manager Brian Epstein in Sam Mendes’ Beatles biopic quadrology. In theatre, he has worked on productions like ‘A Little Life,’ ‘Belleville,’ and ‘The Lion in Winter.’ He co-established his own production company in 2019. In his personal life, he focuses on philanthropic endeavors, particularly with a diabetes charity, as he has type 1 diabetes.
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