HBO is filming the third season of House of the Dragon as we speak. When it arrives, we'll catch back up with characters like Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), who's fighting a war for the Iron Throne against her half-brother Aegon.
Emma D'Arcy took a break from filming to chat with Awards Radar about their character, who is at the center of the show. “What do I find most relatable about Rhaenyra? Probably her desire to be known. I think she has such a fundamental need to be seen in a way that feels authentic. And sometimes I think that reveals a lack of maturity in her. It’s a wound that keeps repeating itself,” D'Arcy said.
"What do I find frustrating about Rhaenyra? There’s such haste in everything she does, in bonding with other people, in striking out towards a solution. And sometimes it feels so breathless…Playing her, I’m really aware of all of my breath, right in the top of my chest, like she’s not engaged her diaphragm in like, 20 years."
Does Rhaenyra lack maturity? Hearing D'Arcy say it, I'm willing to believe it; D'Arcy is always very articulate in interviews. It's true that Rhaenyra has had to make quick decisions as the Dance of the Dragons civil war continues, like drafting common-born Targaryen bastards into her ranks of dragon-riders, a decision that will both hurt her and benefit her as the story continues, at least if the show sticks to the text of George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood. But considering her difficult situation, I'm inclined to cut Rhaenyra some slack. She has a hard job.
Emma D'Arcy has read Fire & Blood, but won't go back to it now
Speaking of the source material, it's no secret that the show has made some major changes. D'Arcy revealed that they had read Fire & Blood, but they haven't picked it up in a while. “I have this sort of foggy knowledge. I mean, I know where Rhaenyra is heading,” they said. “Any sort of historical document tends to be deeply subjective and requires context for understanding. I feel that part of our job is to offer some of that context. But it’s funny, I wouldn’t go back to the book now, possibly until we finish this journey. House of the Dragon now needs to run its course.”
The show has strayed enough from the source material that I imagine referring back to the original text isn't very helpful at this point. I agree that House of the Dragon has an opportunity to provide context the book lacked; there have been some success stories there. That said, I wish they drew the line at providing context and not invent wholly new events, something they're doing more and more, but that's just the bitter book reader in me talking. As D'Arcy puts it, the show has "a lot of license" when it comes to adapting the events of Fire & Blood, and that's been for better and for worse.
Less contentiously, D'Arcy also talked about watching a lot of people get set on fire while filming the second season of House of the Dragon. "And it was deeply sobering…It’s a real extreme sport," they said. "I hadn’t quite appreciated what goes into it. And anyway, it’s really noticeable that after great excitement, the whole set really sobered once we’ve done the first burn.”
The third season of House of the Dragon has been filming for a while and has a while to go. We're expecting it to air on HBO and HBO Max sometime in the back half of 2026. That is a very long while to wait — the second season wrapped up in August of last year — but HBO will at least help tide fans over with a new Game of Thrones prequel series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, airing early next year.
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