From the gore of a battle scene to the horrifying prospect of baby marriage, the “Game of Thrones” universe portrays a world of patriarchy, misogyny, and violence. But in line with Milly Alcock, who performs Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in “House of the Dragon,” some of that misogyny may be discovered inside the on-line fandom, too.
Alcock has a novel vantage level of each the misogyny in the present’s storyline and the dialogue surrounding it. Before touchdown the function of Rhaenyra Targaryen, she had by no means even seen “Game of Thrones,” and now she finds herself at the middle of one of the most elaborate and intense fandoms in the world. “It’s like a part-time job,” she lately instructed Nylon of observing the dialog about her and her character on the web. “It’s an incredibly difficult space to navigate.”
Aside from merely adjusting to seeing her face throughout the web, the Australian actor additionally thinks the present’s content material provides an additional layer for her to emotionally course of. One of the central themes of the present is Rhaenyra’s relationship along with her shut good friend and her father’s eventual spouse, Lady Alicent Hightower (Emily Carey). She says the commentary on this relationship is the place she sees followers’ misogyny play out in actual time.
“‘House of the Dragon’ highlights yes, the patriarchy, yes, misogyny, but also the internalized misogyny that these two women are forced to face. They’re forced to be put at odds with one another by the choices by men,” Alcock stated. “But what I found quite hilarious is that the fanbase is also putting the actors, the young Alicent and the young Rhaenyra at odds with each other, and choosing who’s better, also by decision of mostly men. So I think that it’s really just f*cking ironic.”
Carey and Alcock additionally spoke to POPSUGAR about their characters’ intimate relationship in the present. “Something else we played around with throughout the show is that the jealousy between the two girls when it comes to talking about marriage and men, that I don’t know whether it’s they’re jealous that the other is going to find a closeness with someone else or if it is a queer thing,” Carey stated. But in the end, their tumultuous dynamic returns to the patriarchy embroiled in the “Game of Thrones” spinoff. “These women aren’t given the privilege to know what choices they have because of the world that they live in. And I think that’s the theme that runs through this entire story, and Alicent and Rhaenyra’s relationship is a prime example of that.”
When it involves portraying the misogyny inside Westeros, the “House of the Dragon” showrunners had been very cautious. “If anything, we’re going to shine a light on that aspect. You can’t ignore the violence that was perpetrated on women by men in that time. It shouldn’t be downplayed and it shouldn’t be glorified,” Miguel Sapochnik tells POPSUGAR. “It’s really important to us that we be part of the solution there and not part of the problem. So that’s how we’ve been approaching it. I don’t even think we have any sexual violence in our season.”
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