Rhaenyra Targaryen is one of the most popular TV characters from the HBO series House of the Dragon. Fans have supported Rhaenyra since the beginning of the series and would be very disappointed in George RR Martin if she died.
Emma D’Arcy, the actress who plays Rhaenyra on the show, has been getting a lot of attention lately, both in the media and from her new fans on social media. Speaking of social media, Emma D’Arcy’s Instagram biography mentions the proper pronouns Emma would like to be referred to by, and it’s “they/them”, which means the actress (or actor) considers themselves be non-binary.
Emma D’Arcy’s Instagram
(For this article, we will refer to Emma D’Arcy with feminine pronouns)
Here’s what Emma D’Arcy told her fan during a phone call
Emma D’Arcy publicly opens up about being non-binary during a five-minute phone call with a fan. She says it wasn’t until after she got the role in House of the Dragon that she discussed her gender identity, in part because HBO specifically asked her what pronouns she used. Here is what she told her fan,
“This is the first job where I’ve brought my non-binary identity to work. And that’s partly because HBO asked me what pronouns I used, and I thought a lot about whether it was the right time.
She continues to say that she believed earlier that in order to be an actor, you had to be cisgender (or straight). Emma D’Arcy says, “Usually on casting sites there are two columns (in the form of an audition), and I was wondering if those two identities were going to have to live separately for me to have a career.” D’Arcy also believes, as revealed in his phone call with the fan, that young people need to know that there is room in the film industry for everyone and that space is opening up.
How Not Watching Game of Thrones Helped Emma D’Arcy Audition for House of the Dragon
Emma d’Arcy
Emma D’Arcy doesn’t deny knowing anything about Game of Thrones; she even considers it a “cultural phenomenon”. D’Arcy justifies herself by saying that she didn’t live under a rock and Game of Thrones was always in her peripheral consciousness.
During the phone call, the fan asks Emma D’Arcy about her relationship with Game of Thrones, to which Emma replies, “I hadn’t seen it before I auditioned, which I honestly think is the only reason I’m able to do the job. There’s no way I would have passed the audition process if, at the time, I had the love for the show that I have now.Emma D’Arcy feels she must have melted under the pressure if she had ever been a fan of the show.
