Earlier this week, we found out who was nominated for this year’s Emmy Awards. HBO easily took the lead with 127 nominations, with shows like Succession, The Last of Us and The White Lotus getting lots of nods in particular.
HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon also got some nominations: eight, including one for Outstanding Drama Series. But none of the actors were recognized.
Which is nuts, if you ask me. There were several actors on the first season of House of the Dragon worth honoring with an Emmy nomination, and maybe even a win. So since the Emmys won’t celebrate them, I will:
House of the Dragon. Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO
Milly Alcock as Young Rhaenyra Targaryen
Game of Thrones was famous for launching the careers of several young actors, including Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington and Sophie Turner. House of the Dragon may do the same for its young cast, starting with Milly Alcock, who played Rhaenyra Targaryen for the first five episodes of the show, before it skipped ahead several years in time and she was replaced by Emma D’Arcy.
Alcock brought a lot of sensitivity to the role of a young woman who grew up very comfortable, and who suddenly knew tragedy when her mother died in childbirth. With her father having given up on the prospect of having a male heir, he names Rhaenyra as his successor to the Iron Throne. She embraces the role, even though it means an uphill battle against a group of entrenched elites who are determined to keep her away from responsibility.
On top of that, Rhaenyra finds her relationships changing — with her father, with her best friend, and with her uncle, who hopes to use her as a way to get close to power. Alcock balances all of this, showing us a woman who’s not as experienced as she wants but more confident than she should be. Her performance can be both heartbreaking and disarmingly joyous.
Alcock may not have gotten an Emmy nomination, but hopefully her work on the first season of House of the Dragon gets her plenty of work going forward.
