HBO requested Emma D’Arcy for their preferred pronouns before filming House of the Dragon

The casting of characters in the Game of Thrones franchise has consistently been one of its strongest points. Even the creator of the GOTverse, George R. R. Martin, is in awe of them. In addition to winning over the viewers, Emma D’Arcy, who portrays Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, the leader of the Blacks, was the only member of the cast to be nominated for a Golden Globe for their performance.

Emma D’Arcy wasn’t expecting HBO to ask for their pronouns

House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy has become an LGBTQ+ icon, but before the show became a hit, they had issues expressing their views openly. Hence they were shocked when HBO asked for their pronouns before filming the Game of Thrones prequel. They told Vogue, “I had a really strong belief that there probably wasn’t space in the mainstream industry to be gender non-conforming and an actor. I suddenly needed to reckon with that–” a beat, heavy with thankfulness “–and I was wrong!”

Rhaenyra is closely related to Emma D’Arcy’s nonbinary identity

D’Arcy thinks that being non-binary might have played a part in their casting, “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. I thought I’d been cast, despite all of my stuff, you know? But actually, I really do believe that the ‘stuff’ was also invited.”

Read Next: House of the Dragon’s Emma D’Arcy is among the most influential LGBT+ change-makers of 2023