Alicent is a victim of Larys’ abuse, says actor Matthew Needham

One of the scenes which caused the most discourse among House of the Dragon fans is in episode 9. That is where Ser Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) pleasures himself to Queen Alicent Hightower’s feet in exchange for providing her information. The actor offered his insightful perspective at the Game of Thrones Convention in Los Angeles on the 10th of December, 2022. “I don’t think it’s a foot fetish like we understand in 2022. I think it’s weirder than that,” said Needham.

“It’s not just about a man with a clubfoot being attracted to feet. It’s that he can make her do it,” the star explained. “This is a very disturbed person with a lot of trauma… It’s about making her feel as much shame as she does for that part of her body as he does for his. He can cut out tongues, and he can cut out eyes. I think he likes that; I think he likes making people incomplete. He can’t do that with her.”

Matthew described how Larys had positioned himself in a place of power over Alicent through abuse. “He can, though, associate that part of her body with a trauma so that long after he’s gone, she’s got this sick feeling about it that’s connected to that,” said the actor. “That’s the thing about assault like that: it makes the victim’s body the scene of the crime, and I think that’s what he likes to do. So I don’t see it like he loves feet. It’s the fact that she’s not into it, and he can make her do it.”

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