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We didnt work together at all!
So, Rhaenyra enters the show riding a dragon.
Whats that like to film?Its incredibly mundane.
You dont really learn, they just throw you onto a machine thats basically like a bucking bronco.
Youre elevated ten meters in the air, all harnessed in.
you’re able to see the sky on the LED screens.
Theres a bunch of guys with leaf blowers, and they just blow it in your face.
I found it very difficult, though.
I didnt know what to do with my face.
They were like, Can you look more angry?
And I was like, What do you mean?
How familiar were you withGame of Thronesbefore doing this?I was completely oblivious.
Fantasy isnt my go-to genre.
How did you think about her mannerisms?The costumes did a lot of that for you.
They affect your breathing because theyre so restricting, so that in turn affects how you speak and sound.
Ive never played someone who had that kind of status and gravitas.
I watched a lot of films; my biggest reference was Cate Blanchett inElizabeth: The Golden Age.
Youre just like,chills.
Were two young women who felt completely out of our depth in a very niche and specific circumstance.
We didnt really have anybody that could relate to us or understand us.
That is, essentially Rhaenyra and Alicents relationship.
They have extreme privilege, but they cant actually do what they want to do.
The demise of their friendship is because of choices made by men.
Ems more experienced than I am, so we were just like,This is absolutely crazy.
And we cant tell anyone!
Its mental, because an experience that was so intimate and so ours on set is now everybody elses.
Especially in a franchise where theres already an established audience, we have to come to them.
They dont come to us.
Its every emotion under the sun, really.
How did you learn your dialogue when you speak High Valyrian?I obviously didnt learn the whole language.
I did not do High Valyrian Duolingo.
Then I listened to a recording of the guy who made the language speaking it.
Then it became muscle memory and I didnt have to think about what I was saying.
But it was fun!
I had fun with Matt!
What was it like working with Matt?
Its funny, because hes so not like that character.
Weve become very good friends on this job.
He was the first person I met in real life on this show.
I havent seen them yet!
That was so much fun.
Riding that horse was so much fun.
Horse riding is so much more fun than riding a dragon.
I was very proud of my horse-riding abilities.
