Emma D’Arcy explains how Rhaenyra is “obsessed with masculinity” in House of The Dragon

Game of Thrones prequel House of The Dragon is on everyone’s lips right now, after the recent announcement of the release date by HBO. The series is slated for a release in August, and fans are really hyped up about it. Avid readers of George R. R. Martin’s works are looking forward to seeing some of their favorite characters from the novel Fire and Blood, as the show is based on an infamous incident from its storyline. One of the main characters in the story is Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by Emma D’Arcy in the series.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, D’Arcy notes how Rhaenyra is “pushing at the edges of womanhood, and obsessed with masculinity, equating “maleness” to freedom.” 

“She is a person who feels at odds with the way that she is read by the world — even this label the Realm’s Delight, which implies a passivity, being an object of people’s ogling,” D’Arcy explains. “It’s like she has a doppelgänger. The doppelgänger is Rhaenyra born male, who has access to all the things that she craves and feels to be hers. She has this amazing connection with her uncle Daemon. In some ways, they’re [of] the same fabric, and yet the rules are completely different [for them].”

Do you agree with Emma D’Arcy’s assessment of her character? Talk to us in the comments below!