Emma D’Arcy didn’t know they were auditioning for House of the Dragon
The Rhaenyra Targaryen star made the admission in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com
House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel series about to arrive on screens, features a power battle within the Targaryen family, with one of the key players being Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.
The daughter of King Viserys, she gets drawn into a fight for succession to the Iron Thrones when her father names her his heir, rather than the heir presumptive Daemon Targaryen, played by Matt Smith.
Princess Rhaenyra is played by two different actors - Milly Alcock at a younger age and Emma D'Arcy when the character is older.
Now, in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, D'Arcy has revealed what the audition process for the role was like and has admitted that they didn't at first know what series they were auditioning for.
D'Arcy said: "Initially we were given made-up sides for an unnamed project for an unnamed network. And I'm very naive so I was like "Oh I don't know what it is". I was like "Oh, it's like a fantasy series". And I rushed off a self-tape in about 20 minutes and thought that would be the end of it. I hear that other people knew - I don't know how I didn't receive that information."
Acting opposite D'Arcy in the series is Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, who is similarly played as a younger woman by a different actress, Emily Carey.
Of course, secrecy is nothing new when it comes to Westeros. In 2018, ahead of Game of Thrones' final season, director David Nutter revealed that security was so tight that the cast wasn't allowed to have scripts on set.
He said in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit: "Not a lot of paper on the set, like none. No scripts were printed, we only used iPads and things of that nature. It was much more serious than in the past but the security has always been high."
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However, it seems that when it comes to a potential season 2, the cast may be kept more in the loop, with Criston Cole star Fabien Frankel revealing that he's already had "conversations" with showrunner Miguel Sapochnik about where the show might go next.
Additional reporting by Morgan Jeffery.
Read More:
- How to watch House of the Dragon - where can you stream?
- Matt Smith says “daunting” Doctor Who prepared him for House of the Dragon
- House of the Dragon planned to last three or four seasons
- House of the Dragon review: Game of Thrones prequel soars
- Meet the cast of House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel series
House of the Dragon is available from 22nd August exclusively on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW. With an Entertainment Membership, fans can currently bundle together NOW Entertainment and Cinema Membership for £14.99 p/m. All episodes of Game of Thrones are also available to stream on NOW.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
