Rhaenyra Targaryen, the protagonist of House of the Dragon, has a newfound conviction to rule the Westeros in the upcoming third season of the popular HBO fantasy series, actress Emma D'Arcy said in a recent interview.
"My learning has that one has to be very strong in one's conviction. There's a nice journey that we see Rhaenyra go on over the course of the three seasons, where in the first two, she is kind of wrapped by doubt. I think some of that has dropped away, for better or for worse, by season three. But, and I suppose there is a sort of self-actualisation part to that as well as something a little more sinister," D'Arcy told PTI.
Based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set nearly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and chronicles the bloody Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.
The eight-episode third season, premiering on JioHotstar in India on June 22, finds Rhaenyra in her strongest position yet.
"She commands a host of dragons, has a strong naval force, a powerful land army thanks to Daemon, and has received this extraordinary offer from Alicent that could allow her to enter King's Landing without further bloodshed. For the first time, there's real momentum behind her campaign, coupled with a growing belief that her success is somehow fated," D'Arcy said.
The actress believes that Rhaenyra's growing ambition is rooted in the grief and trauma she has endured.
D'Arcy also praised co-star Matt Smith, who plays Prince Daemon Targaryen, calling him one of the highlights of the job.
House of the Dragon Season three also stars Olivia Cooke, Steve Toussaint, Rhys Ifans, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, James Norton, Tom Bennett, Freddie Fox, Clinton Liberty, Gayle Rankin, Abubakar Salim and Tom Cullen in key roles.
