Emma D’Arcy, born in 1992 in Enfield, found their love for acting at Oxford’s Ruskin school of art. After starting in student theatre, they played important roles in London’s stage, including The Crucible. Their big break came when they played Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones. This role earned them lots of praise and award nominations. Emma is currently performing in a play called The Other Place at the National Theatre.
Why did you choose to do *The Other Place?
There wasn’t a full script when I said yes. I knew the director, Alex Zeldin, and liked working with him before. He writes plays in small parts, and we meet to work on them as they are being written. Alex looks for truth in his work, which I love.
What’s the new play about?
It’s a retelling of the Greek story Antigone, but with modern-day characters. The play is about a family that comes back together after 10 years to deal with the loss of a loved one. It shows how people can fight over memories and past events.
Do you miss performing in small theatres?
I don’t miss it, but those early days were really important to me. I didn’t go to drama school, so I learned by working in small theatre companies. I had six different jobs at the same time! The work was everything to me then, and still is. But it’s hard now too. If we want our arts and theatre to survive, we need to invest in them.
What’s the difference between theatre and acting for TV or movies?
In TV, you spend long hours playing a character, so it feels like living two lives. I love that. When you act for 12 hours, it’s like another person is always with you in the background.
Do you prefer action scenes?
I love working with other actors, and I enjoy the drama in House of the Dragon. But I do want to try some action scenes, like sword fighting, in the next season.
How do you act with dragons on set?
It’s tough! Sometimes you have to act with just a tennis ball representing the dragon. It’s hard on your imagination, but one of the directors would actually make dragon noises while we were filming, which helped a lot!
How do you feel about being nominated as “Best Actress” since you are non-binary?
It’s hard because I’m often asked to talk about gender categories. The way we label people in awards isn’t perfect and doesn’t represent everyone, but I don’t feel it’s my job to fix that.