Milly Alcock is Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, the current heir to the Iron Throne. Although her position may not last for too long, the actress realizes the dangerous stakes of the series is part of what makes the world of Westeros so enticing.
George R.R. Martin is the author behind A Song of Ice and Fire, the fantasy novel from which Game of Thrones is adapted, and he set a precedent for main character deaths. Before 2011, audiences had seldom seen a show that would introduce characters who seem like protagonists of the series before ultimately giving them a gruesome, shocking demise. During the penultimate episode of season 1, titled Baelor, we saw the show’s primary character and hero, Ned Stark (Sean Bean), receive a beheading at the order of Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson). This set the stage for the rest of the series, which saw countless characters fall to poisons, bloody battles, and backstabbing betrayals. If anything, Game of Thrones was consistently memorable for iconic death scenes, and Milly Alcock agrees.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Related: House of the Dragon Star Emily Carey Discusses Her Character’s Major Twist
During an interview with TheWrap, the House of the Dragon star discussed her love for Game of Thrones and why she believes the show was so wildly successful. As Alcock prepared for her prominent role in the HBO fantasy series, she found time to binge GOT between study sessions based on the world George R.R. Martin created. While watching the initial series, she says she quickly understood the appeal.
“It’s just such a clever show. No one is safe. And I think that that is something that audiences aren’t given a lot of the time. We kind of have this in the back of our mind like, ‘Oh, they’re not going to kill off the main character.’… It’s like, ‘No, Game of Thrones really likes to flip that on its head; that’s why I loved it. I was like, ‘No one is safe.’ It exceeded my expectations every time.”
Will House of the Dragon Deaths Live Up To Game of Thrones?
HBO
Although it’s still very early in the lifecycle of House of the Dragon, audiences are expecting some shocking deaths to ensue sometime in the series. Through two episodes, we’ve seen alliances forged between House Targaryen and Hightower and Corlys Velaryon and Daemon Targaryen. In addition, tensions are rising in the matter of the succession to the Iron Throne, and Alcock’s Rhaenyra Targaryen is in a particularly dangerous situation as the heir.
Related: Can Game of Thrones be Successfully Revitalized as a Franchise?
As Alicent Hightower is set to become queen, the relationship between her and Rhaenyra is sure to take a nose dive. But, will House of the Dragon feature a moment as shocking as The Red Wedding in The Rains of Castamere? The Season 3 penultimate episode saw Rob Stark (Richard Madden), his mother, and his wife all murdered at the hands of Walder Frey. Of course, it would not be easy to replicate an episode of that magnitude, but anything becomes possible with source material from George R.R. Martin. You can watch House of the Dragon premiering every Sunday on HBO Max at 9 pm E.T.
You can view the original article HERE.
