Season 2 threw both of these relationships in sharp relief.
They spoke aboutthe scene they were most proud of filming from the show.
They also discussedtheir enjoyment of filming scenes with Olivia Cookeand the dynamic between Alicent and Rhaenyra.
Image by Zanda Rice
They also speak aboutwhether they think Rhaenyra can properly trust her uncle again after this season.
COLLIDER: What a fantastic performance from you forHouse of the Dragon.
I loved seeing you this season.
Image via HBO
EMMA DARCY: What a beautiful question.
So, I found that a really moving idea, in fact.
So, someone who is incapable of verbalizing felt very profound to me.
You also see mothers with extreme trauma and pain; you see anger and regret and all this stuff.
It almost feels absurd.
I mean, Rhaenyra is also literally in disguise, and I really enjoyed the absurdity to that meeting.
Image via HBO
There’s a lot of baggage in that relationship!
That can be really impactful coming from somebody who’s your closest friend and your closest confidante.
That’s still not an experience that you see reflected back by many people.
Image via HBO
it’s possible for you to feel it on her skin.
D’Arcy also talks about the dark potential of their role in the short film.
I could watch that scene so many times and get new things from it.
DARCY: What a nice question!
I love shooting with Matt.
That sounds kind of obvious, but sometimes I become a bit of a good boy.
Image via HBO
So, I’m super grateful.
But what’s amazing is, you do that, and he just lights up and he meets you.
So,I was so excited about that day.
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.
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.
I mean, it kind of felt like you were going to war.
Like there’s a physicality to it.
DARCY: 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.
Like boxers in a ring.
it’s possible for you to’t have a conversation, you have to stay in the zone.
DARCY: Totally, totally, totally.
It was so fun!
The true Queen has spoken, and so shall it be.
Because he was literally going to usurp her at one point before he had his vision quest.
DARCY: My feeling is it’s the latter.
You sort of see this moment of reunification in both of them.
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.
There’s a lot more to say.
I thinkRhaenyra is quite a changed character by the end of the second series.
I think for him, he has put his faith in her.
Every story she’s hearing is negative and he’s undermining her.
DARCY: I totally agree.
They have broader experience.
I think in that argument, and after the death of baby Jaehaerys, I think sheseeshim.
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.
DARCY: Absolutely not.
Most empires crumble from such heights.
