‘House of the Dragon’: Milly Alcock reveals how 'decisive' Rhaenyra Targaryen confronts men of Westeros
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Undoubtedly, ‘House of the Dragon’ is one of the much-talked-about series this year. Fans' excitement is really at an all-time high since the series raises its curtains globally for all viewers on August 21 on HBO and HBO Max. In an interview, Milly Alcock talked about her character of young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen getting ‘rejected’ for being a woman in the traditional Westeros world.
In an interview with Hype dated August 14, Alcock who would be seen portraying the role of a younger version of Rhaenyra in 'House of the Dragon', elaborates about her character being a strong and decisive person because of being the only daughter of King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) who is always dismissed by the traditional Westeros world because she is a woman. She also opened up on how the men are in her way and it’s a trajectory that her life is overshadowed by men constantly.
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Talking about how her entire life’s trajectory is decided by men who reject her for being a woman in traditional Westeros world within the war saga, Alcock shared, “Er, men? Men are in her way. Because basically, the whole trajectory of her life is decided by men. And usually decided for men. Because she’s a woman they dismiss her, reject her ideas and overlook her constantly. So she’s having to fight that battle.”
Shedding more light on her character Rhaenyra in the series, Alcock said, “I play the young Rhaenyra Targaryen. She is the daughter of the king, Viserys [Paddy Considine] and his only child so there’s also that added tension. She’s thrust into a position that she didn’t think was possible and she kind of has to navigate the world surrounding it and how everybody else feels about it.”
Giving a detailed response on the kind of person Rhaenyra is, Alcock added, “She is decisive. She knows what she wants — she just doesn’t know how to get what she wants. She’s born a royal and of high status so she has a position of privilege where she doesn’t have to conform. It means she can get away with being outspoken and not playing by the rules. Which is why we love her, but also why we hate her.”
Finally giving some intriguing details on young Rhaenyra’s dragon Syrax, Alcock revealed, “It’s Syrax. Miguel [Sapochnik] told me that they’re basing the personalities of each dragon off an animal, which I thought was really interesting. Syrax is based on an eagle. The thing to understand is that within the context of our world your dragon is like a pet. It’s like a dog — and everybody has a relationship with their dog. I believe that we’re attracted to things that are like us. And to have that closeness there has to be kind of a kindred spirit within that relationship. What that actually meant for me was a bit of interacting with a fake blue screen, patting it a few times. It was kind of funny, but it looks good!.”
‘House of the Dragon’ is based on George RR Martin’s novel ‘Fire & Blood.’ The plot of the series is set almost 200 years before the events that transpired in ‘Game of Thrones.’ The story would mainly be revolving around how King Viserys’s revelation of confirming his only daughter Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock / Emma D’arcy) as next ruler for the Iron Throne makes the old-school Westeros hierarchy and society really angry and this kick starts a very nasty war for gaining the power to rule in which the entire Targaryen family is pitted against one another with even dragons fighting it out with humans and much more.