House of the Dragon star Ewan Mitchell says his character's kiss with his mother in season three premiere made him 'want to throw up'

House of the Dragon star Ewan Mitchell has spoken out on his shocking scene in the opening episode of the new series.

The highly-anticipated series three premiere saw Ewan's character Aemond kiss his mother Alicent, played by Olivia Cooke, on the lips during a tense conversation.

Speaking to People, Ewan described the moment as one which 'kind of makes you want to throw up in your mouth a little bit', and added: 'Yeah, it's kind of shocking.

'It's quite a difficult pill to swallow, isn't it? Kissing your mom on the lips, especially in that way. I think what you see in that scene in episode 1 is that skewed love.

'I mean, Aemond, growing up, he never felt like he was loved enough by his mom and his family around him, and a kid needs that unconditional love to develop a balanced view of themselves.

'And Aemond, because he never had that, he's got a very skewed perception and a very strange way of showing love.'

Despite the controversy surrounding the scene, Ewan added he also saw it as a 'tremendous challenge and an opportunity to show Aemond in a new light'.

While getting to film it with co-star Olivia was a 'masterclass', he explained.

He added: 'Working with Liv Cooke in that scene is just — it's a masterclass working with Liv Cooke in any scene, yeah she's a real one.'

Showrunner Ryan Condal meanwhile explained to Entertainment Weekly how Aemond is 'somebody that was traumatised at an early age by his brother by taking him to a brothel long before his brain could probably process what was happening.'

'As these things do, that trauma then manifests a certain way in his behavior as an adult.'

'While I don't think that Aemond is necessarily in love with his mother, I don't think he's able to separate the feelings that he has for her from these other male feelings that he experiences.'

Olivia also reflected on shooting the scene, and admitted it was 'quite odd for both of us'.

She mused: 'There has been this Oedipal undercurrent — unbeknownst to Alicent. And I think it's shocking'.

The actress also said the kiss is 'really dangerous', as Alicent knows her son is a 'very dangerous person'.

Olivia explained: 'She knows that one wrong facial expression, one perceived rejection, will cost her her life. So she's trying to tread very, very carefully. But I do think she's sort of stupefied in that moment.'

The kiss also left fans speechless, with many of them taking to social media to express their shock.

'That was easily the most uncomfortable kiss I’ve ever seen on TV,' wrote one X user. 

One wrote: 'I had to rewind three times because there's no way my eyes just witnessed that. House of the Dragon keeps finding new ways to leave me absolutely speechless.'

As another added: 'Ayo wtf?? I forget this stuff happens in game of thrones/house of the dragon.'

'House of the Dragon continues to push the Targaryen family tree into absolute chaos,' said another.

While someone else wrote: 'A Son kissing his Mum. That was disgusting! Am I the only one who felt uncomfortable?'

Elsewhere, the premiere of House of the Dragon's season three kicked off with a bloodbath that left fans reeling with its shocking opening.

In the jaw-dropping premiere on Sunday, many viewers watched the long-awaited Battle of the Gullet take form after two seasons of anticipation.

Fans were left stunned when the battle claimed the lives of multiple beloved characters in just the season opener.

Tragically, Jacaerys Velaryon and his dragon steed, Vermax, were among the fallen in the bloodbath. 

There was also a loss for the Lannister clan, and a certainly memorable admiral is also dead by the end of the action-packed episode.