The second season of House of the Dragon is one of the hottest returning shows on the 2024 TV schedule as the Game of Thrones prequel continues to tell the story of the Targaryen family. Its star, Emma D’Arcy, is a major highlight of the series as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. The actor is among few nonbinary people to have ever led a show as massive as this. When D’Arcy was recently approached about this, they not only had a sweet answer, but fans showed up in the comments to bring all the support.
While Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke were promoting the latest season of House of the Dragon, they sat down with Gay Times for an interview. Check out this TikTok from the conversation that has gone viral and is flooded with adoration and support:
@gaytimes ♬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) - Danilo Stankovic
When asked about the response D’Arcy has received from fellow nonbinary people, the actor eloquently shared that while they did not expect to have a public “profile,” they find being a nonconforming person on screen to be a “real privilege.” D’Arcy went on to say that they are feeling very “hopeful” about the space for the LGBTQ+ community.
Fans adored their answer, and they made their love known in the comments, as TikTok user Maria Kr responded in the comments:
They had the the perfect answer to that question and attitude towards the role they’ve been put in. Icon indeed.
And as user Author EC Garrett wrote below, Olivia Cooke’s response to the question was just as sweet. Cooke plays Rhaenyra’s friend-turned-rival Alicent Hightower in the HBO series, but in real life, she could not be more supportive of D’Arcy being named a nonbinary icon.
K but Olivia’s proud smile at the question is so sweet.
This exchange went viral not long after Matt Smith also went viral for correcting an interviewer with Emma D’Arcy’s pronouns. While D’Arcy doesn’t play a nonbinary character in House of the Dragon, it’s great to see this support for the actor’s identity in the press tour, especially because it’s beneficial to the LGBTQ+ community who identify like the series’ star. As user RedPandaManduh wrote in response to the TikTok:
I’m so glad this convo happened!
D’Arcy has been vocal about what it’s like to be nonbinary in Hollywood since nabbing the high-profile role, including adding to the ongoing conversation about gender-neutral awards.
Here’s one more sweet reaction from the comment section from user Mjwaston:
There is absolutely space ♥️ Emma D’Arcy is the perfect person to speak about this. Such a humble & stunning individual.
Emma D’Arcy is contributing to a wave of nonbinary stars in media earning major roles in movies and television. This includes people like The Last Of Us’ Bella Ramsey, who has discussed their experience with pronouns, and The Crown’s Emma Corrin, who is set to be part of the Deadpool & Wolverine cast. Overall, it’s lovely to see the public support for D’Arcy and other nonbinary stars!
New episodes of House of the Dragon air on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and are available to stream with a Max subscription.
