Emma D'arcy is on fire as Rhaenyra in HBO's "House of the Dragon," so why is the internet obsessed
with the Brit's exquisite taste in cocktails? And did D'Arcy really never watch "Game of Thrones"?
In recent years, there's been a tangible shift in the number of celebrities who feel safe to
openly disclose their gender identity as being neither strictly male nor female.
"House of the Dragon" star Emma D'arcy favors gender-neutral they/them pronouns.
In a discussion with Interview magazine, D'Arcy discussed gender identification, saying,
"["House of the Dragon"] is the first job in which I've brought my nonbinary
identity to work. And part of that was because HBO asked me what pronouns I use,
and I thought a lot about whether this was the right time."
D'Arcy elaborated that there was a time when "identity" and "career"
felt like they had to be two separate and distinct zones. So presenting as
nonbinary to the professional world was an important decision. D'Arcy explained,
"The reason I decided to be honest in my presentation professionally
is that I really hope that younger people who want to do this work know
that there is absolutely space and that space is opening up."
As the star explained to The Hollywood Reporter,
Rhaenyra Targaryen's experiences with gender politics hit close to home. D'Arcy said,
"She's terrified of getting locked into motherhood and is aware of how her position would
be different if she were male. I'm a nonbinary person. I've always found myself both pulled and
repelled by masculine and feminine identity, and I think that plays out truthfully here."
"I think broadly, Rhaenyra is a person who is trying to live authentically."
Emma D'Arcy was born in London and later moved to Oxford, attending the University of Oxford's
Ruskin School of Art. There, D'Arcy studied fine art, not acting, as one might assume.
The discipline didn't have much to do with cameras, sets, and memorizing dialogue,
but at the end of the day, D'arcy was still naturally drawn to the
craft of acting. Speaking to Interview, D'Arcy explained,
"I started playing with the form much more when I was at university,
making theater with friends in our spare time."
The actor's love of performing began in childhood. D'Arcy told Interview,
"The first time I ever had that incredible adrenalized buzz of performing in front of
someone was when I played Titania in a children's production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'"
and then some directing, some acting, and some set design."
Having established a love of the stage, D'Arcy went on to
land roles in theater productions like "Romeo and Juliet" and "The Crucible."
The rising star also began to work on the small screen, portraying a haunted
woman in "Truth Seekers" and appearing alongside Toni Collette in "Wanderlust."
Emma D'Arcy revealed to Vogue in August 2022 that the "House
of the Dragon" audition was shrouded in mystery — at least for certain actors,
like D'Arcy, who hadn't seen any "Game of Thrones." D'Arcy told the magazine,
"I'm very naïve, and the job was untitled, so I thought it was just another fantasy series."
But D'Arcy told Interview that not being a
"Thrones" fan at the time was a good thing, saying,
"I hadn't seen it before I auditioned, which I honestly think is the only reason I'm able
to do the job. There's no way I'd have made it through the audition process if, at that time,
I had the love for the show that I have now. I think I'd have buckled under the pressure."
D'Arcy has now reportedly consumed every episode and read the books. The Rhaenyra
Targaryen actor's favorite "Game of Thrones" characters? The White Walkers, Tyrion Lannister…
"… and The Hound, actually."
"Love The Hound." "The Hound had my heart."
You know you have really made it to the big time when something you say becomes an instant
TikTok trend. What started as a simple interview between D'Arcy and costar Olivia Cooke spiraled
into every person of drinking age wanting to go to a bar and order D'Arcy's drink of choice.
"A Negroni." "I was gonna say the same thing."
"Sbagliato." "Ooh."
"With prosecco in it." "Oh, stunning."
"Yeah."
Following the drink reveal, some 16,000 videos were apparently made with TikTokers repeating
D'Arcy's drink order and emulating the actor's effortlessly cool vibe as best they could.
According to BBC Good Food, the classy and fairly potent cocktail contains Campari,
sweet vermouth, and is bubbled up to the top of a highball glass with prosecco,
rather than the traditionally used gin. Cheers!
In a delightful interview with Elle UK, Emma D'arcy and Olivia Cooke revealed all sorts of fun,
personal facts that only made us fall deeper in love with them. The duo spoke, giggled,
and burped through the majority of the interview,
highlighting just how at ease the two are with each other.
In their on-camera discussion, D'Arcy and Cooke covered just about everything,
chatting about their "House of the Dragon" costars, what languages they wished they spoke,
and what music they were currently listening to. They also discussed things they were good at.
"I'm very good at painting and decorating."
Wallpapering is another of D'Arcy's specialities,
which makes sense. Just a quick glance at the actor's Instagram page reveals
that the Ruskin School of Art graduate has a strong eye for composition and design.
Some actors come together for a project, and their relationship remains professional,
ending as quickly as the project itself does. For others, their bond and friendship
extend long past filming schedules and show premieres. We expect that the latter may be
the case with "House of the Dragon" stars Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke.
While the actors play rivals on camera, they are anything but in
real life. Speaking of the first time they met Cooke, D'arcy told Entertainment Weekly,
"I fell in love with her in about 45 seconds. Well,
I probably worked quite hard to cover that up."
The actor affectionately added,
"You know those chance meetings that happen where
there's a familiarity? For some unknown reason, I really felt that with Liv."
It sounds like the feeling is very much reciprocated. In an
HBO Max interview between the two, Cooke was asked by her co-star about
her first impression of D'Arcy. Cooke summed it all up with a single word:
"Just like, 'Oh, home.' Do you know what I mean?"