House Of The Dragon Cast Confirm They Played Rhaenyra And Alicent As Queer

8 July 2024, 17:37 | Updated: 8 July 2024, 18:12

By Sam Prance

Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock and Emily Carey have responded to House of the Dragon fan theories that Rhaenyra and Alicent are in love.

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The House of the Dragon cast have responded to theories that Rhaenyra is queer and in love with Alicent in the HBO series.

Ever since House of the Dragon debuted on HBO back in 2022, fans have speculated that main characters Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock / Emma D'Arcy) and Alicent (Emily Carey / Olivia Cooke) are in love with each other. No matter what's happened, there's an undeniable connection between them and viewers have wondered if their relationship is queer-coded.

Now, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock and Emily Carey have said that they played Rhaenyra and Alicent as queer.

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In a roundtable interview with Insider, Popsugar and Metacritic, Milly and Emily, were asked if the theories that Rhaneyra and Alicent have a queer relationship are true. In response, Milly joked: "I'm just actually in love with Emily and so I think that's it." However, Emily then confirmed that they both actually played the characters as queer.

Emily, who is queer in real life and uses she/they pronouns, explained: "It's something we brought up with Clare Kilner, one of the directors we also work with for the younger version of the characters." They then revealed: "It was something I was immediately conscious of when I read the script as a queer woman myself."

Emily said that she immediately sensed that Rhaenyra and Alicent were "in love a little bit": "I think any woman could think back to the best friend that they had at 14 years old...it's a relationship, and a closeness, unlike any other. You do toe the line between platonic and romantic."

Emily then added: "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."

She ended by saying: "It's 100% something we were conscious of. And so if it reads on screen, it was purposeful."

In the same press junket, Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent, also implied that there's queer energy between Rhaenyra and Alicent. Emma 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."

Olivia agreed with Emma, saying that there are romantic elements to Rhaenyra and Alicent's relationship. She 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."