Milly Alcock, 22, who stars as Rhaenyra in the first five episodes of the “GoT” spinoff series “House of the Dragon,” told The Post that she had not seen “GoT” before landing the role. “But, of course, I knew,” he said. “I realized it was too big and too popular. [After getting cast], I watched it to prepare. I ate a full 8 seasons in 2 weeks. It was intense and I quickly became a fan and understood why everyone loved it.” “House of the Dragon” (Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO) takes place about 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones” and follows Daenerys and Jon Snow’s ancestors, the silver dragon-riding Targaryen family . As Sunday’s series premiere showed, King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) sits on the Iron Throne and has just named his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra, as his heir – despite the fact that it’s not the norm for women to rule, and the His advisors fear this will throw the kingdom into chaos. Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock), in the throne room in front of her dad, King Viserys (Paddy Considine) Photo by Ollie Upton / HBOMilly Alcock as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in ‘House of the Dragon’. Photo by Ollie Upton/HBO Alcock, 22, is an Australian actress (“The Gloaming”) now based in London. She was still living at home in her mother’s attic when she got the call that she had landed the big part. “I was in shock and disbelief. It took me until I was actually doing pre-production to fully process it and allow myself to get excited about it and stop feeling like I was going to get fired,” he said. “The throne room was so cool. Every time you stepped on the set, the innovation didn’t arrive.” Although she liked Emilia Clarke’s performance as Daenerys, she was not inspired by her to play Rhaenyra, she said. “Obviously, there are similarities in their fundamental ethics as people, but ultimately they move around the world very differently.” Instead, he drew inspiration from two other sources. “Cate Blanchett in ‘The Golden Age’ and Audrey Hepburn in ‘Roman Holiday.’ If you could put these 2 women together, I think it’s Rhaenyra. She is witty and sassy, but she has to constantly play and live up to this royal role. But, you can see beneath the surface, she’s quite uncomfortable in her own skin.” Milly Alcock as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in ‘House of the Dragon’. HBOMatt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, her uncle. Photo by Ollie Upton/HBO As the first episode of “House of the Dragon” shows, Rhaenyra has an unusual relationship with her Daemon uncle (Matt Smith, “The Crown”) that has romantic undertones (the Targaryens are pretty pro-incest, so that part doesn’t is their great concern). “Matt and I have come to a mutual understanding: this [the relationship] it’s charged, but it’s under the surface,” Alcock said. “It’s almost like they’re having two conversations in every scene. It’s like what they actually say, and what they say in their body language, eyes and tone. Matt was really fun to play and work with. He’s such a generous actor, and he’s so kind and considerate, that he elevated my performance. “I think Rhaenyra is at an age where she can’t tell the difference between platonic love, romantic love and lust because she hasn’t lived enough and gone through those experiences. So, I think he gets that there’s a feeling here [with Daemon]but she’s not quite sure where she lands and how to deal with it and navigate it, which is what makes that dynamic so interesting.” Matt Smith as Daemon Prince Targaryen, Rhaenyra’s uncle. Photo by Ollie Upton / HBOKing Viserys (Paddy Considine) and his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, chat in front of a dragon skull after naming her his heir. Photo by Ollie Upton / HBOMilly Alcock at the ‘House of the Dragon’ premiere. Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP Since “Game of Thrones” was the biggest show in the world during its run from 2011 to 2019, Alcock said the cast of “House of the Dragon” felt a sense of pressure. “Of course we did. But not while we were filming. It was only in this piece that we remembered how big it is. I don’t really know how to approach it. It’s extremely intimidating. So I was a little more isolated than I would normally be. Just gaining the confidence to interact with that fandom – you want to do them justice. It’s very interesting as an actor to already have a fan base, as opposed to a fan base coming to you. “It’s almost like they have to accept us first. It will be interesting to hear everyone’s response.”
