- Warning: This post contains spoilers for the "House of the Dragon" season one finale.
- Emma D'Arcy said Matt Smith came up with the idea for Daemon to tell Rhaenyra some tragic news.
"House of the Dragon" star Emma D'Arcy revealed that their costar Matt Smith came up with the final shot of the season one finale.
In the final scene, Daemon Targaryen (Smith) reveals to his niece and wife Rhaenyra (D'Arcy) that her son Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) had died while trying to send a message to one of her allies. We do not hear what Daemon says in the scene but we see Rhaenyra's reaction. The queen takes a moment to compose herself before looking directly at the camera with an angry expression.
D'Arcy told GQ that they were initially nervous about the scene until Smith came up with the idea.
"I had been very nervous about it because, by that point, there had been so many kinds of mountainous shapes in the landscape of that episode," the 30-year-old actor said. "I wanted to find clarity with a new kind of earth-shaking piece of news. But I actually had the most beautiful day of shooting. It did take a day, although half of that was the crew making that crane do that beautiful movement you see in the episode."
D'Arcy continued: "When we got on set to rehearse, it has to be known, it was Matt Smith, in a turn of fucking genius, who offered the idea that Daemon should give Rhaenyra the news while we're both walking away from camera, towards the fireplace. It was a sublime choice, and I could see it instantly. We've sort of touched on it, but I think losing a child, losing her son, it reframes grief immediately."
The next season of "House of the Dragon" is likely to come out in 2024, with filming beginning in 2023.
D'Arcy told GQ that they hoped to have more scenes with their costar Olivia Cooke in the second season.
Cooke plays Rhaenyra's friend-turned-rival Alicent Hightower, whose son Aemond accidentally killed Lucerys in the finale.
"Midway through season one, me and her were fighting for more screen time together," D'Arcy said.
"House of the Dragon" showrunner Ryan Condal confirmed to Deadline that there will be no more huge time jumps in the second season.
"We tell the story in real time from here forward. The actors are playing these characters until the end," he said. "We're not recasting anybody. We're not making any huge jumps forward in time. We are now in the Dance of the Dragons, and we're gonna tell that story."