‘House of the Dragon’ Star Says Daemon Was ‘Grooming’ a Teenage Rhaenyra
House of the Dragon has already had quite a few uncomfortable scenes. The franchise has introduced incest, child brides, and, yes, grooming. Actor Emma D’Arcy (who uses they/them pronouns) took over the role of Rhaenyra in episode 6, and they have thoughts about Daemon’s actions toward her younger counterpart.
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 1 Episodes 1-5.]
Daemon takes Rhaenyra to a brothel in ‘House of the Dragon’
At the start of the series, Rhaenyra Targaryen is a teenage princess portrayed by Milly Alcock. Her uncle Daemon brings her gifts from his travels, such as the necklace seen in the premiere. By episode 4, several years have passed, and Daemon takes Rhaenyra on a drunken night out.
Daemon later leads Rhaenyra to a brothel, where he begins to kiss her. “Since the first time they met, we’ve known there is a chemistry between them, but now was an opportunity for us to really get into that,” co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik said in a featurette.
“There was a lot of conversation of Rhaenyra not being innocent, but at the same time she is not the perpetrator of this,” he continued. “The idea that this is actually abuse felt really important to explore, but we put aside that Daemon is her uncle because that is the Targaryen custom.”
Emma D’Archy describes Daemon’s relationship with Rhaenyra as a ‘grooming scenario’
House of the Dragon Episode 6 jumps forward ten years in time, and Emma D’Arcy took over the role of Rhaenyra. D’Arcy described her character’s teenage relationship with Daemon as “essentially a grooming scenario” while speaking with The Independent.
“The idea that a teenage girl is in any way able to consent to that sexual interaction is a mess,” the actor continued to the outlet. “There is no way that power can be equally distributed in that relationship.” Later, Daemon makes a final play for Rhaenyra, requesting Viserys to wed her to him. However, Rhaenyra marries Laenor Valyron instead.
‘House of the Dragon’ stars talk Rhaenyra and Daemon’s similarities
Due to their similar personalities and situations, Rhaenyra and Daemon do share a certain bond in House of the Dragon. Emma D’Arcy discussed this while speaking with TVLine. “Daemon and Rhaenyra are essentially the same stuff. They’re two sides of the same coin. They are both bubbling with Targareyn fire.”
Matt Smith, who portrays Daemon, added, “In many respects, they’re in quite similar positions. They’re both inheriting this huge pressure. They’re both part of this really pressurized, intense focus within the family. I think it’s the strength of being slightly outsiders.”
“The rules apply to them in completely different ways, and again that’s a question of gender,” D’Arcy continued. “She sees this man who is thrillingly critical of her father, and yet he has an agency in his life that she is simply not afforded.”
House of the Dragon airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
