Milly Alcock (Rhaenyra) says she feels “incredibly anxious” about House of the Dragon fame

Milly Alcock’s portrayal of the young Princess Rhaenyra on the Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, has been loved by most fans. But being a 22-year-old, stepping into a franchise with one of the most opinionated fandoms is not an easy task. The star opens up about her challenges in an interview with Nylon Magazine and how the overload of attention “fuckin’ sucks”.

Though she spent months preparing for her role, nothing could have prepared her for the harsh spotlight, especially online. “I’m trying to not look at it and trying not to engage with it because it doesn’t benefit me. It just makes me incredibly anxious,” says Alcock.

She continued, ” Me seeing my face constantly is straining. No one should have to do that. It fuckin’ sucks, man. I don’t know how the socialites of the world can do that. It’s kind of driving me off the wall.”

She addresses how it’s difficult for her to navigate through this phase since very few people have been through this. And it’s not easy getting in touch with other celebrities when you’re a fresh face on the scene. Milly shares how she doesn’t know anyone going through this since all her friends attend university. Her family is not from an art background either.

“It feels like someone’s opened Pandora’s box and you’re kind of just looking through the looking glass. It’s a bit Alice in Wonderland-y. It’s fucking weird.”

On what the future holds for her

Left: Milly for Stellar Magazine, Photo by: John Tsiavis / Right: Milly Alcock plays Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon

The actress has some anxieties about her next step as well. She said, “I’ve got nothing going on at the moment. I’m in the first phase of panic. It’s like the pre-phase of panic. Of ‘I’m never going to work, it’s never going to happen again,’ as all freelancers know that feeling”.

She speculated about the future, sharing, “[…] Hopefully something fun and exciting comes along, but I just really want to do something completely different to House of the Dragon. Ultimately, I don’t want to go into another big franchise or a big series. I want to do something very intimate and personal”. Milly finishes by saying she wants to be clever about her career and have a long one, like Paul Mescal.

Will you miss Milly as Rhaenyra after Emma D’Arcy takes over in episode 6? Comment and let us know.

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