Playing Ormund Hightower in House of the Dragon Season 3 has clearly been a physically and mentally demanding experience for James Norton. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor revealed that one particularly intense scene pushed him to his limits; so much so that he almost fainted on set.
Quick read:
- Shooting the table-hitting scene caused James Norton to almost faint
- He had to shoot the scene a couple of times
- He felt like being possessed in those moments
The adrenaline overload
Norton described the physical toll of fully committing to a high-energy moment:
“I actually nearly fainted a couple of times in that scene because I was smashing it so hard and the adrenaline was so high.”
The scene in question, speculated to be Ormund’s outburst in front of Daeron by hitting his sword on a table, required Norton to go all out. The combination of intense performance, costume, and the energy of the moment caused his adrenaline to spike dramatically.
This anecdote confirms that Ormund is not going to be a background player. Norton is bringing a bold, physical, and theatrical energy to the role that is already standing out. The fact that the performance was so intense it affected him physically suggests Ormund will be a memorable and dynamic presence in the back half of Season 3.