As expected, House of the Dragon has jumped forward in time. And now, it is Emma D’Arcy’s turn as the older Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Millie Alcock, the show’s breakout star, portrayed her in the earlier episodes).The new series has, so far, been doing quite well and even George R.R. Martin is a fan. And while House of the Dragon is a prequel to Game of Thrones (GoT), the two shows are quite different from each other in so many ways. And no one knows that better than lead star D’Arcy.
Early On, Emma D’Arcy Thought She Was Auditioning For ‘Just Another Fantasy Series’
At a time when fantasy series are becoming more and more common, one may forgive D’Arcy for thinking it’s just another show. The actress, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, didn’t get a lot of details about the show either.
“I’m very naive, and the job was untitled, so I thought it was just another fantasy series,” they recalled. “I just don't think there’s any way that I would have dealt with the pressure of the auditions process if, at that time, I had the love for Game of Thrones that I have now.”
And while they didn’t know what the show was about initially, D’Arcy found themselves immediately drawn to Rhaenyra.
And for their audition, D’Arcy even fashioned a wig when they self-taped an audition for showrunner Miguel Sapochnik and co-creator Ryan Condal. Clearly, it worked.
From The Beginning, Emma D’Arcy Says Rhaenyra ‘Spoke To Me’
The initial information may have been vague but as D’Arcy delved further, they understood where Rhaenyra was coming from.
“She’s grappling with these questions of identity and the restriction of womanhood from very early on,” the actress explained. “That was the aspect of the text that really spoke to me—reading someone on the page who’s so young and already aware that the rules apply differently to men and women.”
At the same time, there’s another aspect of Rhaenyra’s story that D’Arcy found fascinating.
“What I find really moving about the character is when she receives the heirdom, she never understands that the rules have now changed for her,” they said.
“Things that she would have gotten away with yesterday, have completely different ramifications today. No one tells her that this role will require sacrifice, so she learns that the hard way, over years, through the series.”
And whereas Alcock found that the wardrobe helped with her performance, D’Arcy looked to the “transformative” power of Rhaeynra’s wig to help them embody the character (as she had done during the auditions), especially at a time when Rhaenyra is in a much different part of her life already.
“A big part of that transition took place in the makeup trailer each day. I find wigs particularly transformative: they affect your behavior, your posture, how you are read — even people that know you react differently,” D'Arcy explained.
“As humans we are so adept at reading even very small visual cues, so when I leave the makeup trailer, the reality I step into is fractionally different already. That wig does a huge amount of work!”
Meanwhile, the other thing that helped them transform into the Targaryen princess is the animatronic machine that is supposed to simulate them riding her dragon.
“Honestly, the animatronic buck does all the work,” they remarked. “But I haven’t seen the result yet, so we’ll find out to what extent I actually pulled that off, won’t we?”
Emma D’Arcy Says This Is What Makes House Of The Dragon Different From Game Of Thrones
After working on the show and knowing its story inside out, D’Arcy can definitively say what sets House of the Dragon apart from GoT. It’s not just the way this newer show is making an effort to change the way it shows violence being done to women (although it still exists here), but also in how House of the Dragon chose to tell its story.
“One of the fundamental differences is that this is a show built around two women, that attempts to tell a story from their perspectives. So, immediately, you’re talking about a different gaze,” they explained.
“It’s a show that is investigating patriarchal violence, as opposed to taking it as a foundational landscape for a fantasy story. I don’t think it glorifies or romanticizes predatory, oppressive figures. But it does identify that they’re there.”
In some ways too, D’Arcy feels that House of the Dragon relates to today’s society to some extent as “the patriarchal structure that [Rhaenyra and Alicent] live within is seeking to drive a wedge between them.”
In this manner, “you consolidate male power and continue to sublimate women is to undo friendships that create solidarity and enable the imagining of new realities.”
House of the Dragon will run for 10 episodes before returning for a second season. The premiere date for that hasn’t been announced yet.
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