The House Of The Dragons Scene Emma D’Arcy ‘Dreaded Filming’

The following article contains huge spoilers for The House Of The Dragon season three.

The third season of House Of The Dragon has begun.

So far, the new instalment of the Game Of Thrones prequel has packed some serious punches.

Viewers have already seen Rhaenyra Targaryen lose her eldest son Jace Velaryon in a vicious battle.

Rhaenyra, played by Emma D’Arcy, finds out about Jace’s death the episode after viewers do – Jace was her sole heir.

When the mother sees her child’s corpse, she begs his dead body to respond.

In an interview with Variety, D’Arcy shared how tough the moment was to film.

“I think the truth is, for Rhaenyra, it’s an insurmountable loss, and it’s a reality that is too terrible to reckon with,” the actor told the publication.

“So the first feeling, the first instinct, is sort of utter denial and to try to push back against that dawning terrible reality. It was a hard day at work.”

They added that there was “only one scene” they “dreaded filming” in season three – the one in which Rhaenyra attempts to get Jace’s body moving again.

“There’s such a strange part of our job, which is there is a sort of business, this gentle mirror between story and lived experience,” they said.

“And whenever you shoot something like that, it does mean letting go of a really treasured cast member and friend – and added to which, imagining those things is painful.

“And you don’t really have an option but to commit to that, at least for the period that you’re shooting it.”

In a previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Harry Collett, who played Jace, said of his death: “It’s such a cool way to go. It’s not just brushed under the carpet. It’s very impactful, in such a great and epic episode.

“What a heroic death he gets to have. It’s not just some boring death. I’m very happy with it.”

He also said he’d been warned about his character’s fate since season one of the show.

“Ryan [Condal, House Of The Dragon’s showrunner] would never do: don’t tell the actor, then get them to the script read-through, and that’s when they find out: ‘What? I’m dead?’” he said.

“Luckily, it’s nothing like that. You find out the fate of the characters when you get cast. Some things may change, but nothing that drastic.”

House Of The Dragon continues on Tuesday on Sky, Now and HBO Max in the UK.