'Reasserting control': 'House of the Dragon' star Matthew Needham dissects series foot fetish scene
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: There is no secret that 'House of the Dragon' has been one of the highly anticipated series of this year. It shocked everyone with unexpected deaths, and incestual sex scenes, lastly let us not forget the dragons! With every passing episode, the storyline only became more intense. However, in episode nine, Larys visits the Queen consort Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) to give her some vital information. Nevertheless, before giving the information, he coerces her to reveal her feet so that he can masturbate at the sight of them.
Generally, people call this particular interest- a foot fetish but 'House of the Dragon' actor Matthew Needham said that Larys Strong does not have a "foot fetish" despite the controversial scene in the first season. He considers it to be a "power move." Regardless of all the controversial scenes, the first season received highly positive reviews, with praise for its character development, writing, score, and actor performances. 'House of the Dragon' is the prequel to 'GoT' created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO.
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Many fans were shocked by the scene and said that this scene implied Larys has a foot fetish, Needham recently told People that the scene is more about power.
"I don't think it's a foot fetish like we understand it," he said. "I don't think he's sexually aroused by feet. It's more that he's making her show her feet. You know, this man who's had this club foot disability all his life is making this incredibly powerful person show him her feet."
Needham continued, "It's such a power move. It's a way of reasserting control, putting someone in a box. It's a display of dominance, really making someone feel as ashamed of that part of her body as he does of his. It's associating her feet with something traumatic, which is what he does."
While Needham said he was surprised that the internet lost "its mind," Cooke said in a previous interview with Variety that she did not think the scene would garner such a big reaction because the show is full of violence and explicit nudity.
"I knew on the day, I didn't want this to be gratuitous at all because I know my feet will end up on various sites," she said. "It's wild how you can't predict which scenes people have the biggest reactions to, and unfortunately, it was that one."
Cooke said that Larys' actions were an "assault" since Alicent is left with limited choices in order to get the information she needs to survive the royal court. The 28-year-old actress said, "It's disgusting, it's demeaning, it's assault. But she's not really left with any choices. She's surrounded herself with psychopaths and murderers. There's no one else to turn to."
However, you can stream 'House of the Dragon' Season 1 on HBO Max.
