Emma D’Arcy has opened up about being a beacon for non-binary representation within the TV sphere.
Over the last few years, the Hanna star – who goes by they/them pronouns – has gained recognition for their riveting performance in HBO’s House of the Dragon and their viral “Negroni Sbagliato” interview.
In addition to their stellar acting talents, D’Arcy has received praise from LGBTQIA+ fans for being an open book regarding their gender identity.
With their star showing no signs of slowing down, the 31-year-old talent recently opened up to GAY TIMES about their groundbreaking career and being a source of representation for non-binary viewers.
“[It’s been] very beautiful. Having a profile is a really strange thing, especially if you don’t expect that to be part of your life,” D’Arcy explained.
“Being a gender non-conforming person on screen feels like a real privilege because when I was younger, I kind of thought that if I were to be able to act as my job, it would probably be quite separate from my identity, and maybe they would remain separate.
“I didn’t know if it would be possible for those to overlap and be in conversation with one another. You hear about, and you see more and more gender non-conforming, trans and non-binary people in all aspects of the media, and I think that’s very hopeful. It turns out there is, in fact, space.“
@gaytimes Star of @HBO’s #HouseOfTheDragon , Emma D’Arcy, discusses what it’s like being the non-binary representation we need 💛 #emmadarcy #oliviacooke #gameofthrones #got #houseofthedragonedit #gameofthronesedit #rhaenyratargaryen #alicenthightower #nonbinary #nonbinarytiktok ♬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) – Danilo Stankovic
In addition to discussing their non-binary journey, D’Arcy, alongside Olivia Cooke, opened up about the new season of House of the Dragon and the sapphic chemistry between their characters, Rhaenyra and Alicent.
When asked if they intentionally infused the characters’ relationship with queer subtext, the two talents swiftly disagreed with a resounding “no!”
“You can only ever play the given circumstances, so these are characters who are not really in conditions that allow lust, sex, desire to come up in this space,“ said D’Arcy.
“The stakes are too high, and the grievances, the catastrophic events, are too big.”
The first episode of House of the Dragon season 2 is now available to stream on Sky Go.
Watch our full interview with Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke here or below.