One of the faces who you may now recognize thanks to House of the Dragon is Emma D’Arcy. The actor, whose preferred drink order has blown up all over the internet, plays Rhaneyra Targaryen, the heir to the Iron Throne. Speaking with Interview Magazine, D’Arcy had this to say regarding what makes a Targaryen:

D’Arcy is nonbinary, which was previously the subject of a reality subtext-laden joke in one of their previous works, Truth Seekers. However, House of the Dragon was D’Arcy’s first job where they could bring their identity to work — and part of that was because HBO asked D’Arcy what pronouns they use.

“What fundamentally makes a Targaryen is an inner fire that is, in some way, in your genetics. She runs hot, she’s volatile. She has this inner burning fuel that she has to learn to manage, to trust, and to dampen at times. Fire’s a really dangerous ally, but it can also be a profitable one.”

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The moment D’Arcy knew they were an actor was during a children’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They played Titania, and that was the first time D’Arcy “ever had that incredible adrenalized buzz” that comes with performing in front of someone else. Later, D’Arcy would start playing with form more at university, but that was the beginning.

“And I thought a lot about whether this was the right time. The reason it’s important is that there was a point, earlier in my career, where I really worried that it wasn’t possible to be an actor if you aren’t a cisgendered person. Typically, within casting sites, there are two columns, and I wondered if those two identities were going to have to live separately in order for me to have a career. The reason I decided to be honest in my presentation professionally is that I really hope that younger people who want to do this work know that there is absolutely space and that space is opening up.”

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Previously, before becoming part of the world of Westeros, D’Arcy hadn’t seen Game of Thrones before they auditioned. As they hadn’t been living under a rock, D’Arcy was aware of it as a cultural phenomenon, but it was in their peripheral awareness. D’Arcy thinks that they would have buckled under the pressure during the audition process if they had the love for the show they have now.

“It had songs in it, and the language was less complicated. But I remember coming off—you know, I say stage, I mean the trestles in our school hall—and going out into the playing field and just running and running and running. And so I got a taste of the drug then, I think.”

When asked what it was like filming House of the Dragon, D’Arcy’s response harkens back to something that fellow cast member Emily Carey has already said — how one of the most striking things about the show was the scale of everything. D’Arcy thought that sounded obvious, but the sheer size of what was around them was sort of inescapable in every aspect.

“That came later. It came at the ideal time, actually, in the run-up to finally shooting.”

According to D’Arcy, the ultimate challenge in making the show was having the necessary stamina. They played high emotional stakes during these huge scenes that included at least 20 to 30 cast members with hordes of supporting artists in these huge rooms. And they might have been doing that for two weeks.

“The size of those sets, the length of the shoots, the size of the cast, the thousands of people who are working on it across multiple departments. The thing that I hadn’t anticipated before we started filming was the time that that scale affords. It was only after the first month of filming that I finally understood what my job was, which is to just show up, be present, and see what happens.”

Though D’Arcy has not read all the A Song of Ice and Fire books by George R. R. Martin, they have read the one related to the show they’re making, Fire & Blood. According to D’Arcy, it’s not least because of how very exciting it is to read ahead and get spoilers on your own story. That was something they highly recommended.

“Finding new resources to mine after ten days of one emotionally demanding scene is challenging.”

House of the Dragon air on HBO at 9 p.m. ET before hitting HBO Max at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Right now, you catch episodes of House of the Dragons before the new one airs on Sunday. If you can’t get enough of D’Arcy on that show, you can also catch all episodes of Truth Seekers on Prime Video.