‘House of the Dragon’ Intimacy Coordinator Was Present for Queen Aemma’s Childbirth Scene
While House of the Dragon is far less sexually explicit than Game of Thrones, the prequel series kept a dedicated intimacy coordinator on set. Miriam Lucia, one of the best in the industry, took up that role. Lucia was responsible for ensuring the actors were comfortable while filming intimate scenes. She was also present for Queen Aemma’s brutal childbirth scene.
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Episode 1.]
Miriam Lucia works as the intimacy coordinator for ‘House of the Dragon’
House of the Dragon‘s intimacy coordinator Miriam Lucia worked to create a safe environment on the set of the prequel series. Lucia was brought on board following some of the less-than-positive feedback that came from Game of Thrones‘ intimate scenes.
“Game Of Thrones had a negative reputation – which they’ll admit — in terms of the press and the #MeToo movement, and with Emilia Clarke and other actors talking about how difficult and gratuitous it could be at times, and how much pressure they felt,” Lucia said in an interview with Deadline.
“So, I think what you get on House Of The Dragon is not only a production team that are sensitive to that, but you get a cast that is very aware of it and careful about what they will agree to. That precedent had been set.”
Lucia was present for Queen Aemma’s childbirth scene
Of course, as an intimacy coordinator, Lucia was present during filming for all the sex scenes in House of the Dragon. She also worked on a scene from episode 1 that was intimate in a very different way. Though the scene doesn’t show any nudity, Lucia was on set for Queen Aemma’s (Sian Brooke) bloody childbirth scene. The Queen forcibly underwent a C-section without anesthesia.
“HBO now has an agreement in place that if there’s any nudity or any simulated sexual intercourse on their shows then there is an intimacy coordinator expected on set,” Lucia told Deadline. “However, that’s flexible in terms of scenes like the birth scene. Actress Sian Brooke [who played Queen Aemma Arryn] felt that my presence made her feel more comfortable, so I was there.”
“Some directors and producers would think it’s a bit of a gray area, but I would consider that an intimate scene,” Lucia continued. “The birth scene was very harrowing to do, but I felt that Sian was in control of that scene, totally, from beginning to end. She offered what she thought was right for the scene.”
Queen Aemma’s childbirth scene was filmed on a closed set
Although Queen Aemma’s childbirth is definitely intimate and difficult to watch, there isn’t any visible nudity in this scene. In fact, Lucia told Deadline that Sian Brooke was “pretty clear there was to be no nudity.” She added, “There could have been but there wasn’t any, which is great, to be able to suggest everything without showing it.
Lucia also told Metro that the cast and crew operated on a “closed set” while filming this scene. This means only a select number of people were allowed to be present. “I was in the room, and people were very moved by it. Very moved,” she stated. “It was quite female-heavy in terms of crew. So that was a sensitive thing.”
House of the Dragon airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
