Defending Their Throne: Emma D’arcy On Preparing For Battle On ‘house Of The Dragon’

In nan third play of “House of nan Dragon,” 1 of Emma D’Arcy’s wishes comes true.

The British actor, who portrays Westeros’ displaced would-be sovereign Rhaenyra Targaryen successful HBO’s imagination epic, has mentioned successful past interviews their desire for their characteristic to transportation a limb and asking showrunner Ryan Condal to make it happen.

So acold successful nan series, which kicks disconnected its caller play Sunday, Rhaenyra has concisely handled a leaf successful private. She’s besides spoken astir swords arsenic a awesome of authority. But nan queen doesn’t transportation a beard connected her hip, dissimilar astir of her antheral counterparts.

“I conscionable want to opportunity I won that battle,” D’Arcy, 33, says of nan position of their petition during a caller video telephone from London. “The hows and nan wherefores tin wait, but it’s OK to opportunity that I won that conflict … by a communicative intends that I wasn’t expecting.”

But this deadly summation to her wardrobe is not nan only alteration for Rhaenyra this season.

For nan first clip successful nan Targaryen warfare of succession, “there is momentum to Rhaenyra’s campaign,” says D’Arcy. “Historically, we’ve seen Rhaenyra connected nan backmost ft successful a benignant of reactionary position. In nan commencement of Season 3, she’s successful a position of existent strategical governmental power.”

“I conscionable want to opportunity I won that battle,” D’Arcy says of their petition for Rhaenyra to yet get a weapon.

(Jennifer McCord / For The Times)

Created by Condal and “A Song of Ice and Fire” writer George R. R. Martin, “House of nan Dragon” tells nan communicative of this civilian warfare known arsenic nan Dance of nan Dragons. The eldest kid of nan erstwhile king, Viserys I, Rhaenyra was named nan charismatic heir to nan Iron Throne arsenic a teen by her father, contempt women usually being overlooked successful nan statement of succession. But upon her father’s death, her younger half relative Aegon — who was calved aft Rhaenyra was named heir — was crowned king of nan Seven Kingdoms instead.

Picking up straight aft nan events of Season 2, nan caller play kicks disconnected pinch Rhaenyra’s triumph appearing imminent aft she adds much numbers and dragon riders to her subject might, arsenic good arsenic cardinal accusation and a committedness of practice from her puerility friend-turned-adversary, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke).

Thus acold successful nan series, Rhaenyra has been easy to guidelines for. Not only is she nan rightful heir whose spot connected nan throne was allowed to beryllium usurped, astatine slightest successful part, because of patriarchal expectations, but she has besides shown restraint and information for her subjects dissimilar astir different Targaryens.

“There’s a desire successful Rhaenyra, I deliberation we’ve seen connected repeat, to really dismantle immoderate of nan feudal level and really to opportunity to her subjects, ‘You and I are nan same,’” says D’Arcy. She’s “a characteristic successful a position of activity who has been historically othered [that] recognizes a strategy of othering.”

Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) has been much considerate of her subjects than different Targaryen rulers.

(Ollie Upton / HBO)

D’Arcy compares nan last agelong of waiting for nan bid to beryllium released to being successful transit connected a agelong journey. They’d conscionable vanished their last automated speech replacement convention to cleanable up immoderate sound nan week before, and they admit location is thing astir this “liminal moment” that reminds them of being successful transit that they really enjoy. (“As a kid, I loved a agelong car journey, and I often preferred it to arriving astatine [the destination],” they say.)

They are thoughtful and unhurried successful a speech that roves betwixt Rhaenyra’s nuances and relationships, their joyousness astatine being backmost connected nan Red Keep group successful Season 3, their dual appreciation for packing and being provided lunches and moreover nan comforts of broadcast television. D’Arcy describes their activity arsenic “pretending” successful 1 activity while successful different sharing their beardown feelings astir dramaturgy and matter arsenic they toggle betwixt discussions of stage, movie and tv acting.

And while nan nonbinary character hopes that their gender is not nan astir absorbing spot astir them, D’Arcy is committed to speaking “as loudly arsenic I tin connected behalf of nan trans community.”

“[It’s] a very turbulent time for nan LGBTQ+ community, [but] I americium truthful proud,” says D’Arcy. “I’m conscionable fortunate that I get to unrecorded authentically and do my job. I cognize that that is simply a awesome privilege.”

Matt Smith, who plays Rhaenyra’s uncle-turned-husband, Daemon Targaryen, successful nan series, describes D’Arcy arsenic a “one-off.”

“They’re specified a genuinely heavy thinking, affectional quality being who has a voracious IQ,” Smith says, likening D’Arcy’s attack and prep to that of a historian’s. “Super, ace bright. Usually nan brightest personification successful nan room. And they person an incredible, quiet, powerful generosity of spirit.”

“I deliberation really what’s unthinkable astir them arsenic a personification and arsenic an character [is that] there’s conscionable this awesome consciousness of mystery, moreover erstwhile you cognize them, and Emma’s perpetually astonishing maine pinch stuff,” he adds.

D’Arcy has “an incredible, quiet, powerful generosity of spirit,” says co-star Matt Smith. (Jennifer McCord / For The Times)

Condal explains that “Rhaenyra goes done an unthinkable arc alteration this season” and that nan writers challenged some D’Arcy and nan characteristic pinch nan material.

Among nan challenges Rhaenyra will look this play are individual hurdles arsenic good arsenic a deficiency of grace from those unwilling to admit her arsenic a sovereign, each while she starts to judge her reign was ordained by nan gods.

“When each those things are thrown into nan operation together, it creates a benignant of convulsive counterreaction,” Condal says. “You’re going to spot Rhaenyra spell done bumps successful nan roadworthy and each that. But what I was really willing successful was taking this character, who … is very easy to guidelines for, and past applying those benignant of darker pressures to her and seeing what comes retired nan different side.”

D’Arcy explains Rhaenyra’s “growing religiosity” results successful nan characteristic having less doubts astir herself and her decisions.

“I deliberation Rhaenyra feels a awesome work to galore of nan benignant of peers and colleagues and adjacent relations successful her life, [including] Daemon and Mysaria and her begetter and moreover Alicent,” says D’Arcy. “But location is besides location successful her an ego that craves legitimacy and nickname and power, and those elements shape rather a volatile cocktail this season.”

Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), pinch her oldest son, Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett).

(Ollie Upton / HBO)

As for Rhaenyra’s caller sword, Condal was a spot much forthcoming astir nan show’s reasoning.

“We usage it arsenic a awesome to show her metamorphosis arsenic a character,” Condal says. “So it felt very existent and earthy and existent to Rhaenyra — particularly aft nan segment successful Season 1 wherever she benignant of rejects nan past vestiges of this benignant of feminine situation that she feels for illustration she’s been put successful erstwhile she destroys nan gown. I deliberation it sets Rhaenyra disconnected connected a really absorbing caller path.”

In summation to those successful Rhaenyra’s storyline, D’Arcy faced immoderate unscripted challenges of their own. Just earlier going into accumulation connected Season 3, nan character had room to reconstruct their ACL aft suffering a autumn from nan shape during a capacity of “The Other Place” successful London. This meant they were doing their rehabilitation, including learning really to locomotion again, while filming Season 3. It was a daunting endeavor moreover earlier considering that this play would spot Rhaenyra — and frankincense D’Arcy — backmost successful nan monolithic sets of nan Red Keep wherever nan Iron Throne sits.

“I retrieve my first time [on set] because I was successful anticipation of whether my knee would clasp up to nan demands of a play of Westeros,” says D’Arcy. “I really dream that immoderate [behind nan scenes] comes retired of maine successful each my frocks connected my sticks, because for 3 months … my allotted stepping clip would get utilized up connected screen, and past I would benignant of hop about.”

Although they admit nan autumn itself was embarrassing, D’Arcy says going done betterment connected group “was benignant of a beautiful timeline” because group would announcement their progress. They besides constituent retired that their wounded “forced [them] to beryllium incredibly pragmatic” and “proactive” astir managing it to make judge it didn’t impact their work.

“I deliberation it forced maine to beryllium rather big astir nan measurement I approached nan season,” D’Arcy says.

D’Arcy was recovering from an ACL wounded while filming “House of nan Dragon” Season 3.

(Jennifer McCord / For The Times)

Despite nan standard of nan warfare astatine hand, which involves aerial battles betwixt dragon riders arsenic good arsenic elephantine troops of warriors connected onshore and sea, overmuch of nan action Rhaenyra has been progressive successful is interpersonal — astatine slightest truthful far.

There is nan character’s powerfully charged, if volatile, narration pinch Daemon that is backmost connected people aft their separation past season. D’Arcy says that “Rhaenyra requires Daemon’s violence” this play and describes nan characters’ return to their royal location successful King’s Landing arsenic “thrilling.”

There is besides nan strained narration pinch her friend-turned-stepmother Alicent, who helped usurp Rhaenyra’s throne. D’Arcy explains that contempt their frayed friendship, Alicent remains “a unusual custodian of Rhaenyra’s conscience.”

“I deliberation Rhaenyra still privileges Alicent’s judgment, moreover erstwhile they are wholly astatine likelihood pinch 1 another,” D’Arcy says.

But to D’Arcy “the hardest to describe” move that has developed is betwixt Rhaenyra and her advisor Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), who utilized to beryllium Daemon’s paramour. During nan 2nd season, aft Mysaria became 1 of Rhaenyra’s friends and confidants, their narration took a passionate turn.

“I emotion that they commencement disconnected really successful a spot of conflict [and] profoundly suspicious of 1 another,” says D’Arcy, who notes that some characters developed skills to “navigate antheral powerfulness holders.” The attraction for Rhaenyra is “a matter of being seen successful a measurement that’s wholly new.”

“Mysaria is possibly nan first genuinely romanticist connection,” adds D’Arcy. In opposition to Daemon, whose similarities pinch Rhaenyra “represents a benignant of sky of anticipation that is astir powerfulness and domination,” pinch Mysaria it is much for illustration opposites attracting.

“Mysaria offers a model into a type of hardship that opens Rhaenyra’s eyes to a information of acquisition to which she’s had nary access,” they say.

Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) arc changes people successful Season 3.

(HBO)

Rhaenyra is nan first characteristic D’Arcy has played connected a multi-season series, and they opportunity that nan “privileges that travel pinch that are still revealing themselves to me.”

Noting that they and their characteristic person been “growing up … successful tandem,” D’Arcy says they progressively understand Rhaenyra’s feelings toward her precocious begetter arsenic good arsenic what she feels she owes him arsenic “a custodian of his spirit.”

While Rhaenyra’s communicative will touch connected “the much sinister broadside of relinquishing doubt,” D’Arcy considers that location is, perhaps, “a much affirmative broadside to that too.”

“I decidedly noticed successful rather a pronounced measurement that entering my 30s meant I sewage to benignant of fto spell of immoderate aged self-doubt that had been astir apt nan motivating unit of my 20s,” D’Arcy says. “The awesome privilege of surviving this life is [discovering] location is greater bid pinch oneself to beryllium found. It’s a activity successful progress, but possibly immoderate of that relinquishing of doubt, I tin opportunity I’ve besides been capable to declare for myself.”