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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Emma D'Arcy
Emma Zia D'Arcy (born 27 June 1992) is an English actor known for their roles in the BBC drama Wanderlust (2018), the Amazon Prime series Truth Seekers (2020), and the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon (2022–present). They earned critical acclaim and two Golden Globe Award nominations for playing the lead role of Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon. They have also appeared in the drama films Misbehaviour (2020) and Mothering Sunday (2021).

Early and personal life

D'Arcy was born on 27 June 1992, in the North London Borough of Enfield. In year six, they played Titania in a school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which they credit for introducing them to acting. They studied Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Art through St Edmund Hall, Oxford, graduating in 2011. During their time at university, D'Arcy took up theatre on the side with their friends, beginning as a set designer before moving into acting and directing.

D'Arcy is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.

Career

Theatre

D'Arcy has appeared in several theatre productions; their earliest appearances were in Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman at the Oxford Playhouse, Romeo and Juliet at London's Southwark Playhouse, and Clickbait at Theatre503. In 2016, D'Arcy played Tammy Frazier in Callisto: A Queer Epic, directed by Thomas Bailey, at the Arcola Theatre. They starred as Bell in the April 2017 production A Girl in School Uniform (Walks Into a Bar) at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. In August 2017, D'Arcy appeared alongside Ben Whishaw in playwright Christopher Shinn's Against, at the Almeida Theatre. Writing for The Arts Desk, Aleks Sierz praised D'Arcy's performance as well as the production's "marvellous moments of wry humour and acute emotional insight."

In 2018, D'Arcy returned to the Arcola Theatre to portray Lucrezia in Hal Coase's adaptation of Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway. D'Arcy was lauded for their "striking" performance and the production was commended for its stylish simplicity and theatrical flair. In 2019, D'Arcy appeared in The Yard Theatre's production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. They were credited for being both riveting and compelling in their role as Elizabeth Proctor. The production won acclaim, with Fiona Mountford of The Evening Standard calling it the finest adaptation of The Crucible they had ever seen. D'Arcy is the Joint Artistic Director of Forward Arena Theatre Company.

Television

D'Arcy made their television debut as Naomi Richards in Nick Payne's 2018 BBC One and Netflix series Wanderlust. In 2019, they appeared as Alma Smith in the drama series Wild Bill. In 2020, they played Sonia Richter in the Amazon Prime Video action drama streaming series Hanna. They also starred as Astrid in the 2020 Amazon Prime Video series Truth Seekers, a comedy horror series starring Nick Frost.

In December 2020, it was announced that D'Arcy had been cast as Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon, a Game of Thrones prequel and adaptation of George R. R. Martin's companion book Fire & Blood. D'Arcy admitted that while they had been aware of Game of Thrones, they had not actually seen the House of the Dragon predecessor until after being cast in the role of Rhaenyra. They had however read Fire & Blood. The series began production in April 2021, and its ten-episode first season debuted in August 2022. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner and executive producer Ryan Condal revealed D'Arcy's Rhaenyra to be, in many ways, House of the Dragon's most important character, with director Miguel Sapochnik labeling D'Arcy "the face of the show." The importance of the role led to D'Arcy being placed under much scrutiny, particularly after Milly Alcock's rendition of the character in her younger years had been positively received.

D'Arcy's take on the character however was an instant hit, garnering them widespread critical acclaim with critics including it among some of the best performances of the year. In her review for The A.V. Club, critic Jenna Scherer wrote, "It's impossible to look away whenever D'Arcy's expressive face is in the frame; even when the show itself drags, they electrify every scene they're in. Writing for Comic Book Resources, Philip Etemesi pointed to D'Arcy's strong theatre background as the reason for their "expert handling of such a complex character." Additionally, Marcus Jones of IndieWire praised D'Arcy's turn as Rhaenyra proclaiming: "Though House of the Dragon is an ensemble series, viewers can tell just by D'Arcy's presence that their Rhaenyra is the star of the show."

In November 2022, D'Arcy was honoured by GQ as one of the breakout stars of the year. They were awarded Performer of the Week by TVLine for the week of October 23, 2022, for their performance in the season one finale "The Black Queen"; TVLine later went on to name D'Arcy the year's Biggest Acting Revelation. Out magazine's Mey Rude stated, "D'Arcy has stepped up to the plate in a role that would make most actors stagger, and has become an instant star in doing so." For their performance, D'Arcy received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.

Film

In March 2020, D'Arcy appeared in the comedy-drama film Misbehaviour directed by Philippa Lowthorpe. In 2021, they portrayed Emma Hobday in the romantic drama Mothering Sunday. The film was directed by Eva Husson and explored class divides and postwar survivor's guilt in 1924.

Public image

For their role on House of the Dragon, British GQ named them one of the breakout entertainers of 2022, with the magazine stating that House of the Dragon "owed much of its plaudits" to D'Arcy's work on the show. D'Arcy was ranked as the number one breakout star of the year on IMDb's list of top breakout stars of 2022. In October 2022, a video of D'Arcy talking about their favourite cocktail (Negroni Sbagliato) in an interview went viral. They were later credited with the drink's rise in demand.

In 2023, The Huffington Post included D'Arcy on its list of rising stars. In April 2023, they were ranked fifth on the Radio Times list of the top 100 most influential people in television. For their portrayal of Rhaenyra, D'Arcy was named among Variety's list of 2024 Power Women of Hollywood. Also, in 2024, D'Arcy was included on InStyle's Breakthrough list of "30 Performers Defining Culture Now", credited for disrupting the status quo by blurring the lines between traditionally masculine and feminine styles.

Filmography

Film

Year Films Role Notes
2015 United Strong Alone Sniper Short
2019 O Holy Ghost Stephanie Short
2020 Misbehavior Hazel
2021 Mothering Sunday Emma Hobday
2023 The Talent Tommy Short; also producer

Television

Year Series Role Notes
2018 Wanderlust Naomi Richards Main cast
2019 Wild Bill Alma Episode: "Alte und Einsame"
2020 Hanna Sonia Richter 2 episodes
2020 Truth Seekers Astrid Main cast
2022–present House of the Dragon Rhaenyra Targaryen Main role

Music video

Year Artist Title
2016 Artificial Pleasure "I'll Make It Worth Your While"
2017 Little Cub "Too Much Love"

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2014 The Pillowman Michael Oxford Playhouse
2015 Romeo and Juliet Romeo Southwark Playhouse
2016 Clickbait Kat Theatre503
2016 Callisto: A Queer Epic Tammy Frazier Arcola Theatre
2017 Against Anna Almeida Theatre
2017 A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) Bell West Yorkshire Playhouse
2018 Mrs. Dalloway Lucrezia Arcola Theatre
2019 The Crucible Elizabeth Proctor The Yard Theatre
2024 Bluets Royal Court Theatre
2024 The Other Place Annie The National Theatre

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations received by Emma D'Arcy
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2022 IMDb STARmeter Awards Breakout Star House of the Dragon Won
2023 Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Television Series Drama Nominated
Queerty Awards Best TV Performance Runner-up
MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Drama Series Nominated
2024 Saturn Awards Best Actress in a Television Series Nominated
2024 Rolling Stone UK Awards The Television Award House of the Dragon Nominated
2025 WhatsOnStage Awards Best Performer in a Play The Other Place Pending
2025 Saturn Awards Best Actress in a Television Series House of the Dragon Pending
2025 Golden Globe Awards Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama House of the Dragon Pending

Notes

  1. ^ The listed year refers to the date of the ceremony.

References

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