Notice! Spoilers for House of the Dragon Episode 4. House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock reflects on what it was like filming Episode 4’s graphic brothel scene with Matt Smith’s Daemon. Based on the novels by author George RR Martin, House of the Dragon chronicles the events of the Targaryen Civil War about 200 years before the Game of Thrones timeline. The premiere of the show broke ratings records for HBO, introducing audiences to Alcock’s Princess Rhaenyra, Paddy Considine’s King Viserys, Emily Carey’s Alicent and Rhys Ifans’ Otto, among others.
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After an action-packed Episode 3, which saw Daemon bravely defeat the Crabfeeder (Daniel Scott-Smith) and put down the Stepstones Rebellion, the hot-headed prince returned to King’s Landing. Frustrated with her father’s constant pleas for her to find a husband, Rhaenyra joins Daemon for a night on the town, and the two eventually meet in a brothel. The graphic scene sees Rhaenyra and Daemon walking through the brothel, witnessing a variety of sexual acts before kissing among the other patrons. House of the Dragon fans shared their thoughts on the scene on social media as it aired, and now Alcock is breaking down what it was like filming.
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Speaking to the New York Post, Alcock explains that she and Smith worked with an intimacy coordinator months in advance to plan exactly how they would perform their romantic scene. The actor also says that since she and Smith are “buddies,” it wasn’t as awkward to film as it was to watch. Alcock explains that she and Smith were not allowed to see the brothel beforehand, which made for a “shocking” and “knotty” experience as they walked through the scene for the first time during filming while extras performed acts simulated sex around them. . Check out the actor’s full comment below:
“No, oddly enough. [Matt Smith and I] they were just kind of mates. So it was quite comfortable. We had an intimacy coordinator and we worked with her through the rehearsal process and locked it down months in advance.
Clare Kilner, our director, made sure we didn’t see anything from the brothel until we shot. So it was the first time we walked through the brothel, and he’s leading her around the room with all these other bodies. So it was pretty shocking. You’re like, “That’s kind of weird and silly.” There were extras we just met who were 69 for 12 hours. He is quite grumpy. We felt quite clothed, because everyone else was naked.”
The brothel scene in House of the Dragon is not only shocking to viewers, but also meant to be a bit upsetting to Rhaenyra, who has lived a relatively sheltered life. Kilner’s decision not to let Alcock see the set ahead of time allowed Alcock to portray what Rhaenyra is going through in the moment more honestly. It’s also no surprise that she and Smith worked with an intimacy coordinator for their romantic scenes. HBO now makes intimacy coordinators involved in productions with nudity and sex as a regular practice.
Game of Thrones viewers will no doubt be used to the graphic nudity that accompanies a trip to Westeros. Still, House of the Dragon Episode 4 had the added value of introducing a romance between an uncle, Daemon, and his niece, Rhaenyra. It remains to be seen what the consequences of Rhaenyra’s trip to the brothel will be. Still, the character is no longer the somewhat naïve princess she once was, setting the stage for the show’s next time jump. While the most recent episode of House of the Dragon was graphic and shocking, Alcock’s comment suggests that a lot of care is taken behind the scenes to ensure the environment on set is as controlled as possible.
Source: New York Post