The first season of House of the Dragon ended with Rhaenyra Targaryen’s young son Lucerys being chomped to bits by a dragon ridden by her nephew Aemond. In the last shot, we see Rhaenyra hear the news, stagger to a fireplace with her back to us, and slowly turn around, her face a mask of fury. It sent an unmistakable signal: the time for diplomacy is over; prepare for war.
It was a chilling ending that hinged on the abilities of actor Emma D’Arcy to sell it, and they absolutely did. Expect a lot more fire and blood from Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon season 2, which is filming as we speak. “In the first season, she did a lot of mediating the Targaryen fire,” D’Arcy told Vogue. “I’m excited for her to be released from the endless navigation of people, of personalities – I think the energy for that has run out somewhat.”
The second season of House of the Dragon is due out in the summer of 2024. Bring it on.
Emma D’Arcy discusses the value of being a nonbinary person in the public eye
In addition to being hailed for their acting abilities, D’Arcy has made waves on account for their nonbinary identity; they recently made Independent’s list of LGBTQ+ change-makers for 2023. Being a trans person with a public profile is notable during a moment when legislators are increasingly passing laws that target the rights of trans people in the United States and elsewhere. “Being visible as a nonbinary person is the only meaning I can see in having a public profile,” D’Arcy said. “My hope is that the more trans people and gender non-conforming people that are visible in this industry, the more hopeful young people in the community will feel about the opportunities available to them.”
At one point, D’Arcy didn’t think they would be up front about their nonbinary identity when trying to get acting jobs, but they’ve found that bringing all of themselves to the role of Rhaenyra has helped them understand the character. “The conversation that I had with [showrunners] Miguel [Sapochnik] and Ryan [Condal] really early on was about Rhaenyra’s keen awareness of how patriarchy operates,” D’Arcy said. “I thought I’d been cast, despite all of my” — D’Arcy smiled and gesture at themselves – “stuff, you know? But actually, I really do believe that the ‘stuff’ was also invited.”
D’Arcy will get a chance to show off more of what they can do when House of the Dragon returns on HBO and Max next year.
