Anyone curious about Nintendo’s choice for Link now has another performance to study.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, who will play Hyrule’s hero in the upcoming live-action Legend of Zelda movie, received his most substantial introduction yet in House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 4. Ainsworth plays Daeron Targaryen, the youngest son of Alicent Hightower and a potential new contender in the increasingly bloody fight for the Iron Throne.
Spoiler warning: The following article discusses events from House of the Dragon Season 3, Episode 4, “Tumbleton.”
The Real Daeron Targaryen Finally Steps Forward
House of the Dragon had been deliberately hiding Daeron in plain sight.
Ainsworth briefly appeared alongside Lord Ormund Hightower during the Season 3 premiere, but the series avoided clearly identifying him. The following episodes introduced another boy who had been dressed and presented as Daeron, part of Ormund’s attempt to protect the real prince from capture.
Episode 4 finally drops the deception. Ainsworth’s Daeron is revealed as the quiet young squire who has remained close to Ormund throughout the season. He does not have the silver hair normally associated with the Targaryen family, instead taking more visibly after his mother and the Hightower side of his upbringing.
It is certainly not a preview of Ainsworth in a green tunic. Daeron and Link are completely different characters, and nothing about his appearance in Westeros should be taken as evidence of how Nintendo’s hero will behave on screen.
Still, the episode gives Zelda fans a useful look at the young actor’s screen presence.
A Quiet Performance That Could Suit Link
Ainsworth plays Daeron as someone who is constantly watching the people around him. He chooses his words carefully, notices when Ormund is about to lose control and seems uncomfortable with the political role being prepared for him.
That restraint is interesting in the context of Link.
Nintendo has not revealed how talkative its live-action version of Link will be, but the character has traditionally communicated through expressions, movement and brief responses rather than long speeches. Any actor taking the role will need to make quiet moments feel meaningful without turning Link into an empty presence.
Ainsworth shows some of that ability in “Tumbleton.” His Daeron looks uneasy long before he openly resists an order. He communicates fear, sympathy and hesitation through small changes in posture and expression. The performance never becomes overly theatrical, even while sharing scenes with James Norton’s much louder and more unpredictable Ormund.
The strongest example comes during Daeron’s interaction with Tessarion, his dragon. Away from Ormund, Daeron briefly appears gentler and more comfortable. Ainsworth described Tessarion as the one companion who has remained with Daeron throughout his isolated upbringing, making their connection one of the few relationships in which the prince can lower his guard.
That emotional range may prove valuable when Ainsworth trades Tessarion for Epona and Westeros for Hyrule.
Daeron Is Pushed Toward a Darker Path
The similarities between Daeron and Link end quickly once Ormund puts his larger plan into motion.
Ormund intends to transform the reluctant prince into a ruler he can control. To break Daeron’s resistance, he orders him to kill Leo, an innocent man whom Ormund had publicly pretended to protect. Daeron initially refuses, but the pressure from his guardian eventually becomes too much. He carries out the killing despite clearly understanding that it is wrong.
It is a grim scene, but it gives Ainsworth more to work with than a conventional heroic role might. Daeron is frightened, compassionate and increasingly trapped. He has a dragon and a royal name, yet very little control over his own future.
Link will presumably be a far more courageous and morally certain character. Even so, playing someone who must find strength while surrounded by forces larger than himself is useful preparation for a fantasy adventure built around an inexperienced hero answering an enormous call.
Ainsworth Learned He Was Link After Filming His First Episode
The connection between the two productions is closer than it first appears.
Ainsworth has revealed that he learned he had been cast as Link shortly after completing his first day on the House of the Dragon set. That day involved horses, dust and the military camp scenes seen during the Season 3 premiere. He returned home after filming and received the news that he would lead Nintendo’s first live-action Zelda adaptation.
Before joining either production, Ainsworth was best known for playing Miles Wingrave in Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor. He also voiced and performed the title character in Disney’s 2022 adaptation of Pinocchio. His role as Daeron now places him in one of television’s largest fantasy series just before he becomes the face of another major fantasy world.
Nintendo officially selected Ainsworth to play Link opposite Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda. Bragason’s previous work includes Renegade Nell, The Jetty and King & Conqueror.
The Zelda Movie Arrives in April 2027
The live-action Legend of Zelda movie is being directed by Wes Ball, whose credits include the Maze Runner films and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Nintendo and Arad Productions are producing the movie, while Sony Pictures is co-financing the project and handling its worldwide theatrical distribution.
The movie is currently scheduled to open worldwide on April 30, 2027. That date was moved forward one week from the previously announced May 7 release.
Nintendo has not disclosed the movie’s plot or confirmed whether it will adapt one particular game. That leaves major questions surrounding Ganondorf, the Master Sword, the Triforce and the version of Hyrule that Ball intends to bring to the screen.
Ainsworth’s appearance in House of the Dragon does not answer any of them. It does, however, give fans a better idea of why a relatively unfamiliar actor may have appealed to Nintendo.
He can carry quiet scenes, react naturally to effects-heavy fantasy elements and portray vulnerability without making his character seem passive. Those are encouraging qualities for an actor preparing to play Link, even when he is currently dressed in Hightower green instead of the more familiar shade associated with the Hero of Hyrule.
