Interview: ‘House of the Dragon’ Star Emma D’Arcy Talks Creative License and the Allure and Apprehension of Stunts

Fear not fans, while season three of HBO’s House of the Dragon (affectionately dubbed HotD) doesn’t have a release date yet, production is currently underway. The show, which precedes the events of Game of Thrones by nearly two centuries, chronicles the tragic “dance of the dragons,” a Targaryen civil war fought between the “Greens” and the “Blacks.” The stories of the two sides are underpinned by two vastly different women in Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower. We had the chance to speak to Emma D’Arcy, whose insightful performance brings The Black Queen to life from the pages of George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood.

We spoke with D’Arcy right after a day on set filming for season three. After two seasons together, the set isn’t necessarily new, but they still describe a “Bambi-ish first day where things are sort of familiar and unfamiliar simultaneously.” But the butterflies dissipated quickly, and D’Arcy notes:

“I was really struck in the first couple of weeks by the immense privilege in being on set with so many people across all departments…who turn down other work in order to come back. We’re a loyal bunch and that creates an environment…that’s such a rare thing, a rare and special thing.”

Though HotD is based on a book, Fire and Blood acts less as a narrative story, and more as a history overview of the Targaryen dynasty, complete with historical bias and uncertainty. D’Arcy has read the book, but hasn’t revisited since season one.

“I have this sort of foggy knowledge. I mean, I know where Rhaenyra is heading,” they explain. “Any sort of historical document tends to be deeply subjective and requires context for understanding. I feel that part of our job is to offer some of that context. But it’s funny, I wouldn’t go back to the book now, possibly until we finish this journey. House of the Dragon now needs to run its course.”

Working with a more surface-level text, D’Arcy and their castmates are afforded a much greater sense of creative freedom than other adaptations might provide.

“There are big sections where Rhaenyra and Alicent disappear. On the one hand, I suppose it isn’t necessarily that ripe a source for us as actors, but does mean that we have a ton of license, which is, frankly, lovely.”

D’Arcy has proven themselves more than capable of running with that license. Their performance of Rhaenyra, while more of an “indoor” role compared to some of their sword-swinging co-stars, is full-bodied, well-informed, and in-depth. Their performance is fueled not only by a strong understanding of their own character, but also those of their co-stars, in particular Alicent (Olivia Cooke), Rhaenyra’s former best friend turned step-mother. The two girlhood friends represent two intensely human, but contrasting personalities that feel relatable and frustrating in equal measures. I ask D’Arcy what they think.

“What do I find most relatable about Rhaenyra? Probably her desire to be known. I think she has such a fundamental need to be seen in a way that feels authentic. And sometimes I think that reveals a lack of maturity in her. It’s a wound that keeps repeating itself.”

They consider Alicent: “I find Alicent’s battle with her enclosure very moving. She’s so cordoned by responsibility and expectation and isn’t granted the same privilege that Rhaenyra has to flout responsibility. The corseting of being a woman in a rigid patriarchy…It treats her so brutally.”

But on the other hand…“What do I find frustrating about Rhaenyra?” D’Arcy muses.

“There’s such haste in everything she does, in bonding with other people, in striking out towards a solution. And sometimes it feels so breathless…Playing her, I’m really aware of all of my breath, right in the top of my chest, like she’s not engaged her diaphragm in like, 20 years.”

D’Arcy continues: “Alicent is quite fickle with her conservativism. She will herald it when it suits her but then bemoan its oppression…There’s a desire to wear it and invoke it when that serves her purpose, when she and Rhaenyra know that they are both victims of that conservatism.”

D’Arcy and Cooke share many emotionally-rich scenes together, but both are forced by the narrative to stay out of direct danger, resulting in a lot of musing about inside castles.

“Me and Liv used to joke that we just wanted to be let outside, you know, as a first base, we just like to see the sky.”

It’s clear D’Arcy is antsy for more action, but acknowledges you have to be careful what you wish for sometimes.

“Last season was my first burning man,” they remark wryly, referring to seeing stunt people set on fire for the first time. “And in the run up to that, obviously, there’s quite a lot of excitement and anticipation.”

Fun fact: Stunt workers receive a fee per burn, “[a]nd that just really struck us as quite a unique economy, and also sort of sadistic in some way,” says D’Arcy.

“Anyway, it really captured the imagination of the cast and crew. And then I saw people being set on fire with a flamethrower. And it was deeply sobering…It’s a real extreme sport. I hadn’t quite appreciated what goes into it. And anyway, it’s really noticeable that after great excitement, the whole set really sobered once we’ve done the first burn.”

While D’Arcy may not be strapping into a fire suit or even a suit of armor just yet, their performance remains undeniably physical. Consider Rhaenyra wordlessly heaving with grief at the start of season two, her confrontation with Daemon (Matt Smith), her pleading with Alicent. D’Arcy’s dedication to character pays off in every scene they’re in. Even when they watch back the final cut of the show, they are, in a sense, working.

“The bits that I’m not in, then I’m watching a show that I really love. But the bits that I am in…I watch to kind of see what has communicated and what hasn’t worked, and take a mental note of those things to take forward into the next season.”

Across interviews and performances, D’Arcy is thoughtful and insightful, and their answer to my final question is no exception. Inspired by a conversation between several HotD actors at last year’s New York Comic-Con about the physical hardships of their performances (e.g., heavy armor, hours of prosthetics prep, uncomfortable wigs), D’Arcy’s answer is characteristically, metaphorically rich: They chuckle slightly before answering: “The crown tends to leave a dent in my forehead, which feels like some sort of maxim about the risks of power or something.”