Emma D’Arcy opened up about the emotional weight of the shocking betrayal at the end of House of the Dragon’s latest episode. The actor explained how it robs Rhaenyra of any satisfaction she might have felt from her victory.
Spoilers Warning: This article contains spoilers from House of the Dragon Season 3.
Emma D’Arcy on Rhaenyra killing Otto Hightower
In the latest episode of House of the Dragon Season 3, titled “Queen’s Landing,” Rhaenyra Targaryen finally sits on the Iron Throne, though it comes at a great personal cost.
After walking into the throne room, Rhaenyra says that she can’t take over until she kills Aegon. However, Aegon had fled the city. To her dismay, Daemon finds Otto Hightower and convinces her to execute him instead. She reluctantly lands the final blow. Rhaenyra considers it an act of betrayal, given that Otto was her father, Viserys’ Hand, and her childhood friend, Alicent’s father.
Emma D’Arcy, who portrays Rhaenyra, said, “Otto was her father’s best friend. He knew her as a child… I think it dissolves some of the armor actually being seen by those sorts of historical relations” (via The Wrap).
According to D’Arcy, the betrayal gets much worse when Alicent enters the room and sees her father’s severed head on the ground. Furthermore, Alicent and Rhaenyra had agreed to a bloodless takeover. As a result, this makes the execution all the more devastating, stripping away any sense of victory.
“I wanted her to be sort of uncomfortably revealed,” D’Arcy continued, referring to Alicent’s reaction. “Actually, I think that’s probably what Alicent’s gaze does. She sees through any of the artifice or armor that Rhaenyra might have built up.”
Olivia Cooke, who portrays Alicent, had a similar opinion. She said that her character “felt incredibly betrayed.” She described the feeling as though she had been caught up in yet another person’s scheming. Cook added that it had all been for nothing and that Alicent was in a worse position than she had been when she started. “I don’t know… how that relationship can move on from that, at that point… it’s a huge betrayal,” the actress said.
The next episode of House of the Dragon Season 3 will air on Sunday, July 5.
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on SuperHeroHype.
