Before becoming the face of House of the Dragon, Emma D’Arcy had to solve a very practical problem: how do you audition as a Targaryen during lockdown when costume shops aren’t open?
The answer, it turns out, involved a supermarket, a hot glue gun, and a lot of improvisation. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, D’Arcy shared the story behind the homemade wig they created for their audition, and Fallon even revealed a photo of the now-famous creation.
Quick read:
- Emma D’Arcy auditioned during 2020 lockdown.
- They made a DIY Targaryen wig.
- Jimmy Fallon showed a photo of it.
Lockdown forced Emma D’Arcy to get creative
Auditioning for Rhaenyra Targaryen wasn’t exactly straightforward in 2020.
While speaking to Jimmy Fallon, D’Arcy explained that the audition happened during lockdown, when very few stores were open.
“It was 2020. So it was like the middle of lockdown. And so only supermarkets were open… So I said, ‘Yes, I can do that for you. It’s no problem.’”
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Rather than accept defeat, D’Arcy and their partner decided to improvise.
“So, um, but me and my partner used to like run a fringe theatre company. So we’re like — we’re like good at improvising. And we’re also like ill-advised.”
For aspiring Targaryens, those turned out to be useful qualities.
A hot glue gun helped create Rhaenyra’s first wig
D’Arcy then revealed how they assembled the makeshift costume piece.
“So we, um — We like went to a supermarket and we bought like some clips and like a hot glue gun… And then we started sticking bits of hair to the clips.”
The best part came when Fallon displayed a photo of the original audition look. The image showed D’Arcy wearing a medium-length brown wig created from the couple’s DIY efforts, a far cry from the elaborate silver-haired Targaryen wigs featured in the finished series.
Looking back now, it’s a charming reminder of just how unusual the casting process was during the pandemic. Before they became one of the most celebrated performers in Westeros, D’Arcy was simply trying to assemble enough fake hair to convince HBO they could play a dragon-riding queen.
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