‘House of the Dragon’: Emma D’Arcy Compares Filming the Prequel to ‘Going to an Ikea’
TL;DR:
- House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy likened filming to visiting an Ikea.
- The HBO prequel has improved its dragon-riding technology after Game of Thrones.
- Emma D’Arcy plays an older Rhaenyra Targaryen, but it’s unclear when they’ll show up.
House of the Dragon is pulling fans back into the world of Game of Thrones, but the HBO prequel has improved upon the original show’s technology. That’s probably for the best, as the Targaryen-centric series features even more dragons and dragon-riding than Game of Thrones did. And the actors seem content with how the prequel handled such matters. In fact, House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy even compared filming to “going to an Ikea.”
‘House of the Dragon’ handled dragon riding differently than ‘Game of Thrones’
Game of Thrones made a big deal about Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) riding into battle on dragons, but House of the Dragon will make such occurrences commonplace.
The HBO prequel series takes place when House Targaryen was at a high point. Dragons weren’t an anomaly but a normal part of the characters’ lives. As such, we’ve already seen dragon riding from House of the Dragon — and we’re likely to see more as season 1 continues.
From what the cast and crew told The Hollywood Reporter, new technology has made filming the dragon-riding scenes more interesting than it was during Game of Thrones.
Behind the scenes of those epic dragon-riding sequences, the Game of Thrones cast was mostly staring at a green screen. However, House of the Dragon utilizes an LED video wall for such moments, meaning the actors can take in various scenery while filming.
Perhaps that’s why House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy likened production to a trip to Ikea. During an appearance on 60 Minutes, Emilia Clarke admitted riding dragons was a bit underwhelming. However, the new face of House Targaryen seems to have had fun with it.
Emma D’Arcy compared filming ‘House of the Dragon’ to ‘going to an Ikea’
Emma D’Arcy plays an adult Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, and it seems they’ll be riding on dragon-back before season 1 ends.
Speaking to THR, D’Arcy compared using the LED video wall to visiting Ikea. Rather than making production a series of tedious takes, it sounds like the technology gives the cast new experiences to look forward to.
“From everything I’ve heard, it’s radically different from what people on Thrones had to put up with,” D’Arcy told THR. “I loved it. It’s like going to an Ikea and trying all the kitchen taps.”
Anyone who’s ever visited an Ikea knows how fun browsing and seeing new things can be. Clearly, D’Arcy got a similar enjoyment from her time on House of the Dragon. But when will they make an appearance in the Game of Thrones prequel?
When will Emma D’Arcy show up in the HBO prequel?
Emma D’Arcy’s comments about riding a dragon suggest we’ll see them on one sometime in House of the Dragon Season 1. However, it’s unclear when the actor will show up.
The House of the Dragon premiere introduced Milly Alcock as a younger Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen — and the series’ casting indicates that D’Arcy plays an older version of the character. That means the Game of Thrones prequel will probably jump around in time. But whether it goes back and forth between timelines or depicts Rhaenyra’s journey as she ages remains a mystery.
According to RadioTimes, D’Arcy won’t arrive until the halfway point of House of the Dragon‘s first outing. So, it may be a while before we see them swoop in on a dragon. But we’ll be waiting for the big moment when it does happen.
New episodes of House of the Dragon debut every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
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