'House Of The Dragon' Star Emma D'Arcy Opens Up On Taking Over As Princess Rhaenyra

Actor Emma D'Arcy who now stars as the older version of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, recently revealed that they knew they had a big task in terms of filling Milly Alcock's shoes. The actor has replaced the young actress in episode six of the "House of the Dragon" series.

The episode had a massive time jump hence the change of characters. Besides Rhaenyra, Alicent Hightower's actress, Emily Carey, was also switched as well as the actors of the Velaryon twins.

In a recent interview, the actor revealed that they thought of Rhaenyra and Daemon's unorthodox relationship as a grooming experience. D'Arcy also said they asked their co-star Matt Smith how to handle taking over from a loved actor.

Keep reading to learn more of what she had to say.

D'Arcy joined a recent interview with The Independent and talked about their performance in "House of the Dragon" episode six. The actor recently replaced Alcock, who played Princess Rhaenyra in the first five episodes of the HBO series.

The 22-year-old became a loved face on the show during the short period; however, she had to be changed because of the decade jump that came with episode six. While talking to the outlet, D'Arcy revealed that they understood how fans felt a sense of grief because of Alcock's departure.

"It's complicated, isn't it? "the "Wanderlust" actor said. "It's a difficult point at which to meet an audience. They only get me when they lose Milly, so they meet me in a place of grief, of losing someone they just spent five hours with. I'm... I'm well aware of that."

The 30-year-old's co-star Smith experienced a similar situation in the late 2000s when he replaced David Tennant as the lead in "Doctor Who." D'Arcy revealed that they spoke to the actor and asked him how he was able to overcome that period despite the amount of pressure placed on him.

They recalled, "I had a nice chat with Matt the other day, and he said it's like the 'Doctor Who' curse. You've got to regenerate. And yeah, unfortunately, Rhaenyra is going to completely change body and face in a couple of hours."

Earlier on, Smith talked about the character switch and how Alcock and Cary did notably well during their time as both Rhaenyra and Alicent's younger selves. The actor said, "A lot of the young actors in it are going to emerge as stars, I think."

During their The Independent interview, D'Arcy expressed their views concerning the relationship between Rhaenyra and her uncle, Daemon. In earlier episodes, when the Princess was notably younger, viewers saw the two relatives act in a way that was much different from the actions of blood relations.

While the behavior in previous episodes seemed subtle enough, episode four saw Rhaenyra and Daemon act more blatantly than before. Daemon took his niece to a brothel during the episode and engaged in a bigger display of incest than in previous episodes.

The princess' new actor, D'Arcy, revealed that they thought the relationship between the duo was a "grooming scenario." "'The idea that a teenage girl is in any way able to consent to that sexual interaction is a mess," they said. "'There is no way that power can be equally distributed in that relationship."

Alcock and Carey were the first faces of Princess Rhaenyra and Alicent that fans saw at the start of the series. While the "Game of Thrones" prequel progressed, the duo played the characters aged 14 to 18.

With the announcement of the massive time leap that took place in episode six, the two actresses were replaced by D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke. Besides them, the actors of the Velaryon twins, Laena and Laenor, were also recast in the upcoming episodes. According to Ryan Condol, the series's co-creator, the crew decided to change the characters "early on."

In a round table interview via E! News, he said, "The people that are truly children in this are the ones that get recast. And the people that are already adults when we meet them, we age them up through hair and makeup, and sometimes the actors change their voice."