If there is one thing that the battle-hardened world of Game of Thrones taught us, it’s that a victory feels most earned when the players are easy to identify and sympathize with. For House of the Dragon, it’s no different, and Emma D’Arcy – who plays one of its most important players – can attest to that fact.
The prequel to HBO’s flagship series was difficult to set up. Given the shroud of popularity surrounding Game of Thrones, a subtle, slow-burn start to House of the Dragon could severely hamper the show’s rating. Also, the burden of expectation had fallen on the four members of the show’s central cast, and it fell on them to live up to the legacy left behind by its formidable predecessor.
Emma D’Arcy finds it easy to relate to their character
For any show to be successful, one of the most essential ingredients that factor into the equation is the actor playing a certain character and their chemistry with the rest of the cast. While Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, and Matt Smith were immediately recognizable in their respective roles, the casting of Emma D’Arcy told a different story.
The person cast to play Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen would have to be just as formidable as her arc in George R.R. Martin’s epic. When the spotlight fell on Emma D’Arcy (who uses they/them pronouns), showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik realized why it had to be D’Arcy to play the dragon-riding princess who goes to war for the Iron Throne.
On top of nailing their audition, Emma D’Arcy revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter how they could relate to the character on an integral level, making them the perfect fit for the House of the Dragon role:
Rhaenyra has an ongoing battle with what it means to be a woman and is a fundamental outsider. She’s terrified of getting locked into motherhood and is aware of how her position would be different if she were male. I’m a nonbinary person. I’ve always found myself both pulled and repelled by masculine and feminine identity and I think that plays out truthfully here. She can’t attend court in a way that comes easily to other people.
While the entire first season of House of the Dragon shows the intricacies of courtroom politics and the implications of Rhaenyra being named heir to the throne, Season 2 captures the ebb and flow of power even more accurately when Rhaenyra is forced to flee to Dragonstone and finds it increasingly difficult to bring her council of power-hungry men to order.
House of the Dragon Season 3: What to expect?
Spoilers ahead
House of the Dragon Season 2 strayed wildly from the path of the usual Game of Thrones rhetoric. For the first time in a long while, a sense of foreboding and impending danger permeated through the entire season as Daemon flittered around in Harrenhal, on the verge of misery and madness. His time there contributed to his significant character growth as he finally returns to fight alongside Rhaenyra, fully committing to her claim to the Iron Throne.
Season 3 of House of the Dragon will continue the storyline as the pair finally face the Greens as they march toward Harrenhal. With new dragon riders in the play, Season 3 will finally build up to the battle for succession that has been brewing since Season 1 – with both armies and dragons.
Filming for House of the Dragon Season 3 will begin in March 2025, and if the show follows through with George R.R. Martin’s source narrative, it could very well spell the final season for Matt Smith’s character, Daemon Targaryen, as he falls to his death in a battle against his nephew, Aemond Targaryen (as depicted in Fire & Blood).
House of the Dragon Season 3 is slated to premiere on HBO in 2026.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
