According to Milly Alcock and Emily Carey, the romantic subtext between their characters in House of the Dragon was intentional. The two play Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, respectively, two very different 14-year-old girls who nevertheless are very close. Sometimes literally, such as when Alicent helps Rhaneyra get dressed for her promotion to heir ceremony. Alcock said, via Insider, Popsugar, and Metacritic:
“I’m just actually in love with Emily, and so I think that’s it.”
Carey added:
“It’s something we brought up with Clare Kilner, one of the directors we also work with for the younger version of the characters. It was something I was immediately conscious of when I read the script as a queer woman myself.”
Doing a read-through of the script, Carey said that her initial reaction was that Rhaenyra and Alicent are “in love a little bit,” so the actors played with the idea of them having a special emotional closeness as best friends. Carey added that she thought any woman could think back to their best friend at 14 and the unique closeness of that relationship—how it toes the line between platonic and romantic. Carey said:
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“Milly always says it’s like a tactile closeness and emotional closeness. Especially when it’s put in the context of this world where they are the only two young girls in the Red Keep. It’s 100% something we were conscious of. And so if it reads on screen, it was purposeful.”
Related: House of the Dragon: How Does Rhaenyra Compare to Daenerys?
More on Rhaenyra and Alicent’s Relationship
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Alcock also said that she sees the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent as indicative of the power dynamic and societal roles between men and women, which is the larger theme in House of The Dragon. Something that Rhaenyra’s mother, Aemma (Sian Brooke), tells her during the very first episode is that a princess has a “royal womb.” Therefore, she is expected to show her strength not on a battlefield but through childbirth. Alcock said:
“These women aren’t given the privilege to know what choices they have because of the world that they live in. That’s the theme that runs through this entire story, and Alicent and Rhaenyra’s relationship is a prime example of it.”
During the same press junket, Insider asked Rhaenyra and Alicent’s adult actors, Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke, about the sexuality of their characters and how that dynamic operates within Westeros. Cooke, perhaps appropriately, agreed with Carey’s assessment that the characters’ relationship is a blend of platonic, romantic, and even sisterly. Cooke said:
“When you have your first intense friendship, you’re throwing all these emotions at the other person and seeing which one sticks. And it’s incredibly complex but very passionate.”
D’Arcy said:
“I think there’s erotic energy in most intense teenage relationships because it’s a period of trying to work out what one is and what one wants.”
When we last saw Rhaenyra, she had just learned that Alicent was to become her new stepmom, which could also jeopardize her role as heir to the throne. It’s safe to assume that’s going to throw a wrinkle in their relationship, even if you haven’t read Fire & Blood. Fans will have to tune in to HBO on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET to see where their relationship goes next.
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