“I really believe that monsters aren’t born, they’re made,” the actor tells EW.

All about *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Mad Targaryen: *Finn Bennett unravels Prince Aerion’s brand of cruel

"I really believe that monsters aren't born, they're made," the actor tells EW.

By Nick Romano

Nick Romano is a senior editor at ** with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in *Vanity Fair*, Vulture, IGN, and more.

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January 29, 2026 5:19 p.m. ET

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Finn Bennett as Prince Aerion Targaryen on 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'. Credit:

Steffan Hill/HBO

- Finn Bennett unravels Prince Aerion's unique brand of Mad Targaryen on *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms*.

- The actor discusses the benefit of watching *House of the Dragon* and how he couldn't see through the visor of Aerion's black helmet.

- Bennett also shares his reaction to a specific *Heated Rivalry*-esque social media response to a scene involving Ser Roland Crakehall.

**This article contains spoilers from *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms* episode 2, "Hard Salt Beef."**

With every iteration of *Game of Thrones*, there's always someone you love to hate. On *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms*, the honor falls to Finn Bennett's Prince Aerion Targaryen.

Son of Prince Maekar (Sam Spruell) and nephew to Prince Baelor (Bertie Carvel), who's the Hand of the King and next in line for the Westeros throne, Aerion arrives at the Ashford tourney among the Targaryen family procession. He quickly reveals himself to be the de facto "mad Targ" of the bunch. There's always at least one.

"On paper he really is all bad," Bennett tells ** in an interview. "I think there is canonically somewhere in the books that says he's a man with no redeeming qualities, and he is vain and cruel. So there's kind of nothing. You have to dig deeper to find something to cling on to. But I really believe that monsters aren't born, they're made."

Finn Bennet as Prince Aerion Targaryen on 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'.

Steffan Hill/HBO

Bennett is known for a more benevolent HBO series role, that of Officer Peter Prior on *True Detective: Night Country*. It's a testament to the chameleon nature of this 27-year-old British actor, who can transform with just a simple bleach blond wig to give his *Game of Thrones* part such a punchable face.

Aerion, known as "Aerion Brightflame," as well as the more blunt descriptor "Aerion the Monstrous," was first introduced in George R. R. Martin's *The Hedge Knight*, the first of a trilogy of novellas about Dunk and Egg, played on *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms* by Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell, respectively. His presence sows chaos at the Ashford tourney where Dunk hopes to earn money, and he contributes greatly to the drama to come in the later episodes.

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Bennett previously called *House of the Dragon*, the other *Game of Thrones* prequel, one of the greatest shows on television at the moment. That age of Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), and Prince Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) was only an inspiration in the sense of learning about the lineage of the Targaryens, which he likens to the War of the Roses.

The absence of all that on *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms* is his favorite part of this show.

Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) on 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'.

Steffan Hill/HBO

"I try to situate myself in where the Targaryen dynasty is in history and what's going on at the minute," he says, describing the unique madness of his particular Mad Targaryen. "They don't have the firm grasp on power that they used to have, and I think he finds that embarrassing. The tourney they're at is beneath him and his family, and he is looking to gain back some fear and respect in the hearts of his subjects. So I suppose that was the thing I was clinging on to."

Aerion distinguishes himself on the jousting field through his black armor. That demonic face on the helmet, which is adorned with metal flames, is based off a 3D scan of Bennett's own complexion, he reveals. "They shaved off the chin and the nose and the cheek bones and stuff," he describes. "They presented me with my helmet. I was like, 'F---, I'm ugly!'"

The helmet, however, is not practical. Bennett's stunt double, Zach Roberts, had to perform much of the action-oriented scenes purely because the actor couldn't see through the visor. "He was riding completely blind and sometimes leaping from his horse," Bennett recalls of Roberts' standout moments. "I don't think there's any way insurance would've let me cover that."

Prince Aerion Targaryen jousts on 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'.

Steffan Hill/HBO

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Bennett is mostly unaware of the reaction to Aerion so far, which is by design. He purposefully avoids reading any reviews, knowing that he'll likely fixate on the one negative criticism, even it were to come with a sea of raves. He speaks with EW while in Ottawa, Canada, where he's visiting family, who will feed him "dribs and drabs" of what's being discussed online, he says.

This interview, however, is the first time he learns there are some memes already in the making, in particular a few X tweets and posts on Threads fan-fictionalizing a *Heated Rivalry*-esque relationship between Aerion and one of the knights of his Kingsguard.

It stems from a moment that follows Aerion's first scene in episode 2 of *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms*. Ser Roland Crakehall (Wade Briggs) mentions to Dunk after a heated exchange with the prince, "The pretty ones are always temperamental," referring to Aerion. Some fans online took note of this exchange.

"I love that," Bennett says in reaction. After a beat, he adds, "That's really weird and specific. That's great."**

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Source: “EW Game”