Actors from the new Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, say fans who spotted a romance between their characters are 100% correct.
Millions of viewers tuned into the premiere of the new HBO series, House of the Dragon, which takes place 200 years before the events of the Game of Thrones series. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the show will follow the fall of the House Targaryen.
In episode one, we meet Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and her best friend, Lady Alicent (Emily Carey). But viewers of the episode were quick to catch some more than friendly interactions between the two girls.
rhaenyra and alicent (house of the dragon) are the cottagecore lesbians ever.. “i wanna go ride a dragon w you and eat cake” WHILE LAYING TOGETHER ON THE GRASS???? THATS GAY pic.twitter.com/W3PGWbprcA
— marcy wuz here! ???? she/they (@marcy_wuz_here) August 22, 2022
me watching rhaenyra and alicent throughout this first episode#HouseoftheDragon pic.twitter.com/6y1ZfzDU5M
— svt d-5 ???? (@lovedawoon) August 22, 2022
Not my gay ass shipping Rhaenyra and Alicent knowing damn well it won’t happen ???? Friends, is it gay to call your bestie to ride a dragon with you? I think it is. #HouseoftheDragon
— ???? 소아영 ???? (@baeover_bay) August 22, 2022
House of the Dragon Actors Weigh In
Regardless of the future of Rhaenyra and Alicent, the cast confirmed that portraying a deeper relationship between the girls was intentional.
“I’m just actually in love with Emily and so I think that’s it,” Alcock joked during a roundtable interview with Insider.
“It’s something we brought up with Clare Kilner, one of the directors we also work with for the younger version of the characters,” Carey said. “It was something I was immediately conscious of when I read the script as a queer woman myself.”
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Carey said her first takeaway from the characters was that they are “in love a little bit.” And they decided to play into that idea while acting out the scenes between a young Rhaenyra and Alicent.
“I think any woman could think back to the best friend that they had at 14 years old, and it’s a relationship and a closeness unlike any other,” Carey added. “You do toe the line between platonic and romantic.
“Milly always says it’s like a tactile closeness and emotional closeness. Especially when it’s put in the context of this world where they are the only two young girls in the Red Keep. It’s 100% something we were conscious of. And so if it reads on screen, it was purposeful.”
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Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy Agree
Olivia Cooke and non-binary actor Emma D’Arcy also weighed in on the sexuality of their characters. They play the grown-up versions of the women later on in the story.
“I think there’s erotic energy in most intense teenage relationships because it’s a period of trying to work out what one is and what one wants,” D’Arcy said.
“When you have your first intense friendship, you’re throwing all these emotions at the other person and seeing which one sticks,” Cooke said. “And it’s incredibly complex but very passionate.”
