When audiences first saw Milly Alcock play young Rhaenyra Targaryen on House of the Dragon, she was portrayed as confident, fierce, and totally in command. But off-camera, Alcock was plagued by self-doubt, and one early-in-production comment came close to sending her around the bend.
In a frank visit on The Tonight Show, Alcock remembered an embarrassing moment that occurred during her second dayof shooting. The show, a highly promoted prequel to Game of Thrones, was one of the largest roles in her career. But that excitement quickly became anxiety.
“On my second day on House of the Dragon, one of the, I’m not gonna say who, but someone very high-up, pulled me aside and was like, ‘Um, we’re gonna get you an acting coach,” she revealed.
The remark wasn’t a performance note—instead, it attacked Alcock’s self-assurance. Rather than accepting it as helpful criticism, the comment only fueled her fears that she wasn’t prepared to do the part.
It just confirmed everything that I’ve known to be true, [which is that I’m not very good at my job,” she said. “You know what I mean! I was like, ‘I can’t do this. This is terrible. This is a big mistake.”
Alcock’s achievement was no small one. As Rhaenyra Targaryen, she was the focal point of the show’s political machinations, acting in a character who was fated to battle for the Iron Throne. While Alcock played only the younger Rhaenyra through the first half of Season 1—before Emma D’Arcy took over the role for the character’s later years—her work became an instant fan favorite.
She co-starred with veteran actors such as Matt Smith, who portrayed Daemon Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, and Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower (who, much like Rhaenyra, was also played in both young and old form).
Though she appeared briefly in Season 2, the series now has progressed to the next part of the Targaryen brother-sister war called the Dance of the Dragons. Nevertheless, Alcock’s performance as young Rhaenyra set the emotional tone for all that transpired.
Season 3 production started in March, Variety reports, and the upcoming season will also include a cast of new faces. The new additions to the cast are Tommy Flanagan, Dan Fogler, Tom Cullen, Joplin Sibtain, and Barry Sloane.
Set almost two centuries before Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon draws on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood. It tells the rise and fall of House Targaryen—famous for their dragons, their domination, and their usually ruinous family wars.
Alcock’s tale is a reminder that even actors hired for huge fantasy blockbusters are still human beings who deal with nerves, uncertainty, and growing pains. While her dragons might have soared high on screen, her path to Rhaenyra was full of very real human impediments—ones many would-be artists can identify with.
Ultimately, Milly Alcock didn’t merely act a queen in waiting—she demonstrated that even queens sometimes doubt. And sometimes the most courageous thing an actor can do is just continue, scene by scene.
