'House of the Dragon' star Eve Best hurt her back filming 'quite bonkers' dragon-riding scene and felt like 'a bag of bones'

• Warning: Spoilers ahead for "House of the Dragon" season one, episode nine, "The Green Council."
• Eve Best hurt her back filming Rhaenys Targaryen's dragon-riding scene.

"House of the Dragon" episode nine is full of that signature "Game of Thrones" political intrigue, as Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) try to install Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) on the Iron Throne.

This divides many of those around them since the now-dead King Viserys had previously sworn to his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy), that she would be queen.

However, there's another powerful member of House Targaryen in King's Landing that the Hightowers have to deal with: Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best).

Although Alicent tries to convince her to join the Hightowers, she chooses to escape, which leads to a dramatic interruption of Aegon's coronation when Rhaenys bursts through the floor riding her dragon, Meleys.

It's a truly surprising moment that actor Eve Best called "quite bonkers" when speaking to Entertainment Weekly about Rhaenys' rebellion against the crown in the Dragonpit.

However, the star also explained that she hurt her back filming her explosive scene.

Best said: "It was the very end of the shoot. We [were] all absolutely exhausted and I remember the dragon riding sandwiched in between two days of really heavy dialogue. I'd slightly done my back in somehow. I was being strapped on the dragon, really not feeling like it very much. Certainly feeling like a bit of a bag of bones."

The climax of the episode sees Rhaenys choose not to incinerate Aegon, Alicent, Otto, and the rest of the key figures at the coronation, something she might soon regret when the civil war (called the Dance of Dragons) really gets started.

However, Best pointed out that Rhaenys' willingness not to kill her opponents shows that she would be a perfect replacement to sit on the Iron Throne.

"It's the moment when she shows herself to be the greatest possible ruler. It was the most outrageous and explosive action of the season. In a way, it's also the most merciful and most graceful act," she said.

The actor also explained that it's a matter of respect between her character and Alicent, thanks to their earlier conversation where the queen acknowledged that Rhaenys should've been on the throne.

"I think there's a kind of mutual respect that happens as a result of that scene. It's two women living through the appalling treatment, abuse, repression, oppression, the horrors of this patriarchal system," Best said.

The final episode of "House of the Dragon" airs Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m. ET.