When Emma D’Arcy landed one of the leads on House of the Dragon, it’s not like they weren’t a fan of the Game of Thrones franchise. They had just never seen it. Now the British performer is becoming a big star, praised for their work as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, ancestor of Daenerys, as well as one of their favorite beverages. They’re not even convinced they could have done it had they been some George R.R. Martin superfan.
“I hadn’t seen it before I auditioned, which I honestly think is the only reason I’m able to do the job,” D’Arcy confessed to Interview (as caught by Entertainment Weekly). “There’s no way I’d have made it through the audition process if, at that time, I had the love for the show that I have now. I think I’d have buckled under the pressure.”
It’s not like they were totally unaware of it. “I was aware of the show as a cultural phenomenon,” they said. “I haven’t lived under a rock and it was very much in my peripheral awareness.”
D’Arcy also discussed another, more personal aspect of the gig:
“This is the first job in which I’ve brought my nonbinary identity to work. And part of that was because HBO asked me what pronouns I use, and I thought a lot about whether this was the right time. The reason it’s important is that there was a point, earlier in my career, where I really worried that it wasn’t possible to be an actor if you aren’t a cisgendered person. Typically, within casting sites, there are two columns, and I wondered if those two identities were going to have to live separately in order for me to have a career. The reason I decided to be honest in my presentation professionally is that I really hope that younger people who want to do this work know that there is absolutely space and that space is opening up.”
It was a big deal when Dragon did a big time jump and D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke took over the role of Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent Hightower from their younger performers, but the transition has been, fans have noted, smooth. But there’s a chance we’ll still see Milly Alcock and Emily Carey again.
