House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy on the joy of having a lead role as a non-binary person

House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy has opened up about the importance of being a non-binary lead in the huge TV franchise. 

D’Arcy plays Rhaenyra Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel, having previously spoken out on being comfortable playing a woman despite their non-binary gender. 

In a new interview to mark the launch of season two of the HBO hit spin-off, the star reflected on championing the non-binary community through their representation on-screen.

“Being a gender nonconforming person on screen feels like a real privilege because when I was younger, I thought that if I were to be able to act as my job, it would be quite separate from my identity, and maybe they would remain separate,” they told Gay Times.

“I didn’t know if it would be possible for those to overlap and be in conversation with one another.”

The actor also revealed they were “lonely” during the filming process of season two after being separated from many of their co-star friends. Season two sees the characters part ways, meaning cast members didn’t have scenes together as they pursued their individual storylines. 

The non-binary icon reportedly became close with their cast members during filming of the first season, including Matt Smith, who plays Prince Daemon Targaryen, and Olivia Cooke, who portrays Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower.

At the show’s New York premiere on 10 June, D’Arcy told The Hollywood Reporter that filming season two without Smith and Cooke was “kind of lonely”.

However, they clarified: “There [are] so many beautiful actors on the show, it’s an ever-mutating thing.

“Certainly, I think it’ll make the active viewership kind of more exciting because there are so many parts to the series that I’ve not had the chance to watch yet. So I get to watch as sort of a pure fan, these other narrative strands.”

House of the Dragon season two is available to stream now on Max, Sky and Now.