‘House Of The Dragon’ same-sex kiss wasn’t in script but felt “organic”, say actors
A same-sex kiss that happened in the latest episode of House Of The Dragon wasn’t in the script, but felt “organic” to take place, say the actors in the scene.
During Sunday’s episode, the show surprised fans in episode ‘Smallfolk’ with a same-sex kiss that wasn’t in George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood – the book on which the show is based.
It occurred between Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Lady Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno). After Mysaria speaks to Rhaenyra about her past, the queen hugs her before the pair kiss until they’re interrupted.
Mizuno told TheWrap that “it wasn’t scripted as a kiss” even, adding: “I think it was scripted as … there’s just breath between them or something, and then whatever happens is interrupted.”
Mizuno went on to say that it felt natural to go into the kiss because of their closeness.
“Because we were separate in the room…[and] Mysaria has told this story, [D’Arcy] felt the instinct to hold her, to comfort her,” Mizuno explained. “From that, it felt so organic to go into the kiss.”
Mizuno added that they did not want the kiss to feel “queer-baity in any sense,” adding that the moment made it feel “emotionally so right.”
“I don’t think either of them have been hugged like that in a long time, if not ever,” Mizuno continued. “I think it was the hug – the intimate vulnerability of that hug – which morphed into this very tender and passionate kiss, which was quite… amazing. I think it’s very thrilling in the moment for both of them.”
In a separate interview with Variety, D’Arcy said the moment was born out of the two characters’ “desire to connect”.
“I think what you see initially is intimacy, and an intimacy that Rhaenyra shares so rarely,” they told the publication. “Even in some of her other romantic relationships, there’s a lot of presentation, there’s a lot of bravado, often from both sides. Certainly with Daemon, I think both parties struggle to reveal themselves in weakness, and that their eroticism is sort of predicated on power.
“Whereas with Mysaria, in this growing relationship – it’s remarkably honest. Initially, there’s huge feelings of empathy and gratitude toward this person. Rhaenyra is hugely affected by the life that Mysaria has lived so bravely. Then, they are two bodies completely overrun by touch. As soon as they embrace and their bodies are touching, I think it’s pure bodily desire.”
Prior to the season two premiere, House Of The Dragon was renewed for a third season in June 2024.
It was also announced last month that the next Game Of Thrones spin-off TV adaptation is set to hit screens in early 2025. Currently titled A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, it has begun filming in Belfast, although an exact release date has not been confirmed.
In a four-star review of the first season, NME wrote: “What is reassuring is that House Of The Dragon feels as though it is walking on solid ground: the bubbling rivalries, the jostling for power, the eruptions of violence; six episodes in, it is all coming together to create a rich stew … it is a relief to see a prequel that seems to know what it’s doing. A decent watch for fans and neutrals alike.”
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Elizabeth Aubrey
NME
