House of the Dragon Star Admits Show’s Popularity is “Straining”

House of the Dragon is now four episodes deep, and the Game of Thrones spin-off is a huge hit. The series has already been renewed for a second season, and its viewership continues to rise. However, instant fame can sometimes be tough on the actors involved with big shows. Milly Alcock, who plays the fan-favorite Rhaenyra Targaryen on House of the Dragon, recently spoke with Nylon and admitted the show’s success can be “straining.” Of course, it’s no secret that the show will soon be making a time jump and Alcock will be replaced by Emma D’Arcy, but it sounds like Alcock is ready to move on to her next project. 

“I’m trying to not look at it and trying not to engage with it because it doesn’t benefit me,” Alcock said about being thrust into the spotlight. “It just makes me incredibly anxious. Me seeing my face constantly is straining. No one should have to do that. It f*ckin’ sucks, man. I don’t know how the socialites of the world can do that. It’s kind of driving me off the wall. It’s an incredibly difficult space to navigate.”

Alcock added, “I don’t really know anyone who’s kind of gone through what I’m going through … All of my friends are very normal and go to uni and just do very basic things, and my family’s not in the arts whatsoever, so it’s strange. It feels like someone’s opened Pandora’s box and you’re kind of just looking through the looking glass. It’s a bit Alice in Wonderland-y. It’s f*cking weird.”

During another recent interview with New York Post, Alcock talked about filming the “gnarly” brothel scene in the latest episode.

“No, strangely enough. [Matt Smith and I] were just kind of mates,” Alcock explained when asked if filming the scene was awkward. “So, it was quite comfortable … We had an intimacy coordinator, and we worked with her through the rehearsal process and blocked it out months before.” She added, “Clare Kilner, our director, made sure that we hadn’t seen any of the brothel stuff until we were shooting … So, that was our first time walking through the brothel, and he’s guiding her through the room with all of these other bodies. So, that was quite shocking. You’re like, ‘This is kind of weird and silly.’”

Alcock added, “There were extras who we had just met who were like, 69-ing for 12 hours … It’s pretty gnarly. We felt pretty overdressed because everyone else was nude.” She explained, “Rhaenyra is at an age where she can’t tell the difference between platonic love, romantic love, and lust because she hasn’t lived long enough and gone through those experiences … I think that she understands that there’s a feeling here [with Daemon], but she’s not quite sure where it lands, and how to behave with it and navigate it.”

House of the Dragon‘s fifth episode will be available to watch on HBO on Sunday.