Milly Alcock has been confirmed to play the younger version of Rhaenyra Targaryen, the princess who is set to be the heir of the Iron Throne. The character does more than just look pretty in the series and actually gets into the action herself. She certainly sounds like someone we’ve already met in Game of Thrones and the similarities weren’t lost to Milly Alcock.
“They’re both women who don’t behave the way that they’re expected to,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “There is that rebellious and cheeky spirit that they both possess, which I think is why people are going to adore her.” Interestingly, it was also confirmed that Alcock auditioned for the role with Arya Stark’s dialogue in Game of Thrones. With that in mind, it sounds like Rhaenyra has a lot in common with Arya. Alcock is not the only one who views her character as someone who is as strong as people expect. Emma D’Arcy, who plays the adult Rhaenyra, previously spoke about the princess’ predicament. “She is someone who’s pushing at the edges of womanhood and has a really decisive, interrogative eye for how gender affects power, affects how one may occupy space, affects even the right to construct one’s life,” D’Arcy said. “She is a person who feels at odds with the way that she is read by the world… It’s like she has a doppelgänger,” they continued. “The doppelgänger is Rhaenyra born male, who has access to all the things that she craves and feels to be hers.” Meet Rhaenyra Targaryen when House of the Dragon premieres on HBO on August 21, 2022.
