Season 3 of House of the Dragonintroduces a new antagonist, Ormund Hightower, played with controlled ferocity by James Norton. Ormund is a particular adversary for Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), Norton says over a video call from London.“They do not come into contact with each other. He is a bully in Rhaenyra’s abstract awareness. When you meet someone, the sting is often taken out of their bite. Ormund and Rhaenyra are not physically in the same space. Rhaenyra projects onto him and he probably becomes more terrifying as a result.”Page to screenIn terms of inspiration for Ormund, the 41-year-old Grantchester actor says there was not much in the book (George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood). “He is described lightly. It was fun because it was a blank canvas, and we were given permission to fill in a lot of the gaps. Ryan (Condal, showrunner) modelled Ormund on a proper English gentleman with a dark, twisted edge.”Preferring not to lean on other performances as it could lead to mimicking, Norton says, he enjoyed the creators’ permission to go big and bold with Ormund. “After lots of good discussions, a clear character had been found. Sometimes it’s tough and it’s forced. Ormond, on the other hand, happened organically.”