House of the Dragon Actor Talks Portrayal Of Women In The Series

Game of Thrones was a very powerful show (up until Season 8…) and often pushed the boundaries of what could and should be shown in a fantasy show like it. However, despite all of the praise it got, fans and critics weren’t afraid to bash the show for certain things that it did. Not the least of which was how the women were portrayed at times. Many times there were used as “eye candy” for fans and nothing more, and other times they were shown as the victims of certain kinds of violence that won’t be repeated here. Thankfully, the upcoming spinoff House of the Dragon aims to fix that in its own way.

Emma D’Arcy, who plays Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon, will be a key part of this. As her character is going to be trying to “break the bonds” of what is “expected of a female” and even notes how she’s ‘Pushing at the edges of womanhood” in the show:

“She is a person who feels at odds with the way that she is read by the world – even this label the Realm’s Delight, which implies a passivity, being an object of people’s ogling,” D’Arcy added. “It’s like she has a doppelgänger. The doppelgänger is Rhaenyra born male, who has access to all the things that she craves and feels to be hers. She has this amazing connection with her uncle Daemon. In some ways, they’re [of] the same fabric, and yet the rules are completely different [for them].”

So that alone is one storyline that is worth keeping an eye on, and if they keep this depth and levelness with other female characters, the show is going to be very balanced all the way across and possibly not “trigger” people like its predecessor did at times.

Source: Entertainment Weekly