This article was originally posted on SFFGazette.com
This past Sunday's episode of House of the Dragon took a page out of Game of Thrones' play book with some good old-fashioned incest, as Rhaenyra Targaryen and her scheming uncle Daemon got a lot closer than blood-relatives ever should in a King's Landing brothel.
Of course, we already know that Targaryens traditionally marry within their own families in order to keep their bloodline as strong as possible, but after witnessing what we assumed to be a more innocent bond between the king's brother and his seventeen-year-old niece, their "coupling" did not make for comfortable viewing (to say the least).
Fortunately for actress Milly Alcock, the scene wasn't quite as difficult to shoot.
“No, strangely enough. [Matt Smith and I] were just kind of mates. So, it was quite comfortable,” she explains to NYPost.com. “We had an intimacy coordinator, and we worked with her through the rehearsal process and blocked it out months before.”
Alcock's scene with Smith may not have been too taxing for the 22-year-old to film, but she does admit that the graphic, full-on orgy taking place around them was a bit "shocking" to witness.
“Clare Kilner, our director, made sure that we hadn’t seen any of the brothel stuff until we were shooting. So, that was our first time walking through the brothel, and he’s guiding her through the room with all of these other bodies. So, that was quite shocking. You’re like, ‘This is kind of weird and silly.’”
“There were extras who we had just met who were like, 69-ing for 12 hours,” she added. “It’s pretty gnarly. We felt pretty overdressed, because everyone else was nude.”
Upon learning of their tryst, King Viserys disowned his brother (again) and banished him from his side, while ordering his daughter to wed her cousin Laenor Velaryon. Will this put an end to Daemon's courtship of the princess? Tune in this Sunday to find out!