Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2.

Summary

  • Season 2 of House of the Dragon puts Rhaenyra in a war against her half-brother for the throne of Westeros while also causing strife within her own team.
  • Emma D'Arcy shares their filming experiences and the scene they're most proud of filming from Season 2.
  • D'Arcy talks filming with Olivia Cooke and Matt Smith; they also discuss Rhaenyra's complicated relationship with Daemon after the events of Season 2.

After plunging the kingdom of Westeros into war, a lot was left open at the end of Season 2 of House of the Dragon. Not only were the Blacks and the Greens opposing each other, but there was more than enough infighting to help the two sides of House Targaryen tear themselves apart. At the center of the war is Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), the firstborn child of the late king Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine). After watching her throne get usurped by her half-brother Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), she is forced to fight for her crown in a war of attrition that leaves both sides of the war bloodied and beaten.

At her side is her uncle and husband (typical House Targaryen stuff), Daemon (Matt Smith), and on the other side of the aisle supporting her opponent is her childhood-best-friend-turned-step-mother Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). Season 2 threw both of these relationships in sharp relief. Once her strongest ally, Daemon spends much of Season 2 seemingly struggling with the authority his niece now has and considering overthrowing her to make his own claim. The season ends with reconciliation, but we're not so sure how long that will last. Meanwhile, supporting her enemy is Alicent, who has spent most of the season losing more and more power and agency. By the end of the season, the once proud queen returns to her friend's side to offer up the throne in exchange for mercy for herself and her daughter, apparently having given up on her sons.

We spoke with D'Arcy about Season 2 of House of the Dragon a few weeks ago to get a temperature check with them about the best parts of the series. They spoke about the scene they were most proud of filming from the show. They also discussed their enjoyment of filming scenes with Olivia Cooke and the dynamic between Alicent and Rhaenyra. On top of that, D'Arcy broke down filming that contentious argument Rhaenyra had with Daemon in the early part of the season and how it was to improvise with Smith. They also speak about whether they think Rhaenyra can properly trust her uncle again after this season. According to D'Arcy, who was excited to get back to filming, they had not yet seen the scripts for Season 3 at the time of our interview, but that House of the Dragon production is set to start early this year.

Emma D'Arcy Talks Reuniting With Olivia Cooke on Screen and the Scene They're Most Proud To See on Screen

"When I was watching the series, I was so struck by how extremely lonely Alicent must be."

COLLIDER: What a fantastic performance from you for House of the Dragon. I loved seeing you this season. And I'm curious, what was the standout scene for you to film in Season 2, something that you're very proud of to see on screen?

EMMA D’ARCY: What a beautiful question. I really enjoyed the whole process of shooting the first episode. I was just really captivated by Ryan [Condal] and Sara [Hess] and the writers’ idea that she would be nonverbal, that she would be in this state of paralysis for the whole first episode. It was less about pride, but I found that such a profound idea and I felt very grateful for the invitation to really think about the workings of grief. Not least because grief can estrange you from yourself, and it can bring up behaviors that feel external to your personality. The world feels foreign when you're in a state of bereavement, and you also feel foreign to yourself. So, I found that a really moving idea, in fact. Someone said to me something very, very beautiful, which is just that in the moment of death and in the moment of bereavement, language breaks down. I suppose this is, in part, a cultural thing, but certainly in the UK, I don't think we're particularly articulate in a language of death. So, someone who is incapable of verbalizing felt very profound to me.

I also loved shooting those two scenes with Olivia [Cooke], obviously, not least because I was incredibly happy to see her, but somehow, when those two characters are together, all of that history sits in the room, as well, and you see flashes of two girls bickering. You also see mothers with extreme trauma and pain; you see anger and regret and all this stuff. Whenever I see people in my life who've known me for a very, very long time, something about that witnessing through a lifetime means you see yourself from without, and certainly, the first time that Rhaenyra and Alicent meet in the Sept, there's this strange experience of seeing myself and both of them. It almost feels absurd. I mean, Rhaenyra is also literally in disguise, and I really enjoyed the absurdity to that meeting.

Emma D'Arcy and Anthony Flanagan disguised as a Septa and Septon in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 3
Image via HBO

There's a lot of baggage in that relationship! When you meet somebody at such a young age, and you develop a really close bond and then that bond is like broken, like we see how when Rhaenyra learns about the truth of Alicent's relationship with Viserys, it devastates her. That can be really impactful coming from somebody who's your closest friend and your closest confidante.

D’ARCY: Totally. And there's still quite a singular experience to be a woman in a court, perpetually undermined, patronized, othered. That's still not an experience that you see reflected back by many people. I suppose Rhaenyra kind of slowly builds this trust and this friendship with Mysaria, but when I was watching the series, I was so struck by how extremely lonely Alicent must be. It’s so painful. You can feel it on her skin.

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D'Arcy also talks about the dark potential of their role in the short film.

Emma D'Arcy on That Daemon and Rhaenyra Right Scene in Episode 2

There's so much danger in their relationship that it's important for us to find ways of challenging one another within a very safe environment, but it's really exciting.

Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy standing close and facing each other in House of the Dragon_S2E2
Image via HBO

Then I have to talk to you about one of your best scenes, which is in that fight scene that you have with Matt Smith in Episode 2. I could watch that scene so many times and get new things from it. Can you talk about preparing for that and executing that scene with him and how much rehearsal did you have to go through for that?

D’ARCY: What a nice question! I love shooting with Matt. I know I’ve spoken about this a lot, but the thing that really strikes me about him is that he's taught me a huge amount about finding space, or making space, actually, to play as an actor. That sounds kind of obvious, but sometimes I become a bit of a good boy. Sets are chaotic places; there are so many people who are working, all of these people and their expertise and their time. The last thing I want is to be in the way, slowing people down, or compromising other people's work. That's all well and good; we all want to be good people, and we're all building the same thing together. Conversely, part of the actor's job is one of play, and those are sometimes forces that are not that conducive. So, I'm super grateful.

I really noticed this at the start of series one, where I was very green, especially with the scale of the show, and I learned so much from Matt. He knows when he has to take space, and he does it beautifully. That's not compromising anyone, but he knows the importance of playing, whether that's just throwing in flashes of improvisation that suddenly send a lightning bolt of reality back into a scene when you've been shooting for six hours or just for a take playing something completely differently to reopen possibility.

Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen and Emma D'Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen touching foreheads in House of the Dragon
Image via HBO

Can you give an example of that, like a moment where, like, "Oh, wow, I didn't see that coming!"

D’ARCY: Once I understood this about him — and it's so good because he just lights up — if you want to inject something into a scene, especially when you've been at it for a lot of hours, I'm constantly there chewing on lines that I think might get a bit of a rise out of him. It's provocation. But what's amazing is, you do that, and he just lights up and he meets you. For Rhaenyra and Damon, there's so much danger in their relationship that it's important for us to find ways of challenging one another within a very safe environment, but it's really exciting.

So, I was so excited about that day. It's a long scene, which is really nice, and so a lot of that prep was I wanted to feel super free, and so I wanted to know those lines inside-out and back to front so that I could be really nimble on the day. Then we shot that with Clare Kilner, who shot that specifically in a way that was very loose. A lot of it was handycam. There were some anchors within the blocking, but we were allowed to be really playful. We didn't have to lock it down completely, so it changed a lot. I remember Matt specifically wanted some breakables, like pots and stuff that will smash without it being dangerous. And honestly, I was so adrenalized, the two of us, it felt a bit like playing some sort of sport.

I mean, it kind of felt like you were going to war. Like there's a physicality to it.

D’ARCY: It kind of felt like that to do, I would say. We wouldn't really speak in the gaps. We would just be pacing. I mean, I'd be probably chewing on things to say to him to him.

Right. Like boxers in a ring. You can't have a conversation, you have to stay in the zone.

D’ARCY: Totally, totally, totally. It was so fun! What a thrill!

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The true Queen has spoken, and so shall it be.

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Emma D'Arcy on Whether Rhaenyra Can Trust Daemon in the Future

"I think she sees his flaws, she sees his vulnerability, she sees his denial, and it's hard."

Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) in half-profile standing close to and staring at Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) in the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale
Image via HBO

For Rhaenyra, just story wise, do you think that she can fully trust Daemon at her side now? Because he was literally going to usurp her at one point before he had his vision quest. Do you think she does trust him at this point, or do you think there is still resistance there?

D’ARCY: My feeling is it's the latter. It's funny, within the course of the series, that scene, again, was a real joy to shoot where he reaffirms his commitment to her. You sort of see this moment of reunification in both of them. Something that I realized in the second series was that their relationship only functions when they are in positions of power and confidence. Their erotic energy is dangerous. It's bloodthirsty. It's about power. If they're in a state of need or weakness, their relationship doesn't work. They can't speak to each other. They can't reveal that stuff. I suppose what strikes me is as much as that scene was super exciting to shoot, there's surely way more to discuss. There's a lot more to say.

I think Rhaenyra is quite a changed character by the end of the second series. I think her relationship to her name, to her Targaryen history, to her faith even, has shifted in a massive way. I think she's less compromising now. The truth is, I wait in anticipation to find out what they've written, but I can't imagine that, given all of the events that transpired in the second series, she wouldn't need to keep him on a short leash.

Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) staring down with a shocked expression at a kneeling Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) in House of the Dragon Season 2
Image via HBO

I think for him, he has put his faith in her. But, I doubt that she does, because she's lived the entire season in this sort of limbo. Like, the one person who she's supposed to be able to trust is out here doing God knows what. Every story she's hearing is negative and he's undermining her.

D’ARCY: I totally agree. The big change that took place during that argument in Episode 2 is that, for the first time, I think she sees him properly. It's hard. When you meet someone and you're younger, they take on a greater size, and there's a mystification that takes place just because we look up to people who are older than us. They have broader experience. I think in that argument, and after the death of baby Jaehaerys, I think she sees him. I think she sees his flaws, she sees his vulnerability, she sees his denial, and it's hard. It's almost like suddenly she outgrows him. Well, she outgrows the conceit. She outgrows the conceit of Daemon Targaryen.

Well, he no longer holds as much power in their relationship. I think that doesn't really sit as well with him.

D’ARCY: Absolutely not. So, I'm excited to find out what that means interpersonally for them because that will be quite different. Because I think even up until the end of series one, it was still a very specific power dynamic between them.

House of the Dragon Season 2 is available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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The Targaryen dynasty is at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins when King Viserys breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm.

Creator
George R. R. Martin, Ryan J. Condal
Main Genre
Fantasy
Seasons
1
Franchise
Game of Thrones
Characters By
George R.R. Martin