Emma D’Arcy, the star of House of the Dragon, just dropped some major hints about what is coming in Season 3. The actor, who plays Rhaenyra Targaryen, sat down for an exclusive interview and opened up about her character’s biggest fights yet. D’Arcy also shared some funny thoughts about co-star Matt Smith, comparing his version of Daemon Targaryen to a “football hooligan.”
Season 3 of the hit HBO show premieres on June 21, 2026. Fans in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and India can watch it on HBO and Max. In India, the show will stream on JioHotstar. The season has eight episodes and will end on August 9, 2026.
Rhaenyra Faces a ‘Campaign of Othering’ in Season 3
The new season picks up right after the events of Season 2. Rhaenyra has survived betrayals and losses. But according to D’Arcy, the fight is just getting started. Rhaenyra finally has momentum in her campaign to take the Iron Throne. But the world around her is not ready to accept a ruling queen.
D’Arcy explained that Rhaenyra has to deal with constant doubt from the men around her. “Something Rhaenyra has to reckon with is trying to right the campaign of othering,” D’Arcy told Hindustan Times. “She comes in as a ruling queen, and she has to find a way to declare to her male colleagues and counsel, as well as her subjects, that ‘I am the same as you. I have the same capacity to lead the realm as you’.”
The show presents Rhaenyra in a more layered way than the book Fire and Blood. In the original story by George RR Martin, Rhaenyra is often seen as a tyrant. But D’Arcy believes that version comes from a biased history. “A way in which patriarchy preserves and consolidates male power is to prevent women from easily wielding power in the same way and condemning them for it,” they said.
D’Arcy also told The Hollywood Reporter that Rhaenyra has been “restrained from action for two seasons” and is now “finally on the precipice of seizing her end.” There is a feeling that the position she finds herself in is fated in some way.
Matt Smith Brings ‘Football Hooligan Energy’ to Daemon
One of the most talked-about moments from the interview was D’Arcy’s description of Matt Smith’s performance. The two actors share intense scenes together as the married uncle-niece duo. D’Arcy had nothing but praise for Smith’s physical style of acting.
“There was a scene we did this season, and I got to watch Matt, who is an amazing physical performer, do some violence,” D’Arcy said. “The way Matt approaches it is allowing Daemon to be like a football hooligan. It is a much more poised presentation of violence. That’s probably why some of that thrill and charge is glamorous.”
D’Arcy added that Smith turns a violent character into someone with strange charm. The comparison to a football hooligan fits Daemon perfectly. He is reckless, aggressive, and unpredictable. But he also has a weird magnetism that keeps viewers watching.
D’Arcy has spoken before about how much they enjoy working with Smith. In a past interview, D’Arcy called Smith “an actor” as the highest praise. “I love that man,” D’Arcy said. “It was such a joy for me to learn what kind of excites him and what sort of lights up his appetite and his imagination.”
Smith himself promised that Season 3 is a bloodbath. “I think they’ve aimed for scale, blood. It’s a big bloodbath, really, this season,” Smith told The Hollywood Reporter. “Which is absolutely where it’s needed to go. I think that’s when the show is actually operating at its best in many ways — particularly for Daemon.”
The Battle of the Gullet Breaks Records
Season 3 opens with the Battle of the Gullet, a massive sea battle in the Targaryen civil war. The production team set a world record by igniting 23 stunt performers at the same time in a single take. The sequence required 15,000 stunt crowd participants, 3,500 props, and 25 tons of propane. Filming used four ship sets and more than three million litres of water.
Showrunner Ryan Condal said the battle is unlike anything attempted on television before. Condal compared it to the Battle of Helm’s Deep from The Lord of the Rings. He said such a defining moment could not just be referenced. The team had to show it in full.
“Even within the bloody, awful history of the Dance of the Dragons, the Gullet stands out… as one of the worst things that happened in that history,” Condal said.
Rhaenyra and Daemon’s Relationship Stays Dangerous
Fans have wondered if Rhaenyra will ever fully trust Daemon again after Season 2. In the second season, Daemon went behind Rhaenyra’s back and took out a hit on her rival. He also spent time planning his own run for the throne. By the end, he bent the knee and swore loyalty again. But trust is not easily rebuilt.
D’Arcy addressed this directly. They said Rhaenyra is a changed person after everything she has been through. “I think Rhaenyra is quite a changed character by the end of the second series. I think her relationship to her name, to her Targaryen history, to her faith even, has shifted in a massive way,” D’Arcy told Collider earlier. “I think she’s less compromising now.”
D’Arcy added that Rhaenyra will likely need to keep Daemon on a short leash in Season 3. “I can’t imagine that, given all of the events that transpired in the second series, she wouldn’t need to keep him on a short leash.”
The two characters have a very specific dynamic. D’Arcy explained that their relationship only works when both are in positions of power. “Their erotic energy is dangerous. It’s bloodthirsty. It’s about power. If they’re in a state of need or weakness, their relationship doesn’t work. They can’t speak to each other. They can’t reveal that stuff.”
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Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith’s Real-Life Bond
Off-screen, D’Arcy and Smith share a great working relationship. D’Arcy has credited Smith with teaching them how to find space to play as an actor. “He knows the importance of playing, whether that’s just throwing in flashes of improvisation that suddenly send a lightning bolt of reality back into a scene,” D’Arcy said.
Smith likes to have breakable items like pots on set that can smash during intense scenes. D’Arcy recalled one major argument scene from Season 2 where Smith asked for props that would break without being dangerous. “Honestly, I was so adrenalized, the two of us, it felt a bit like playing some sort of sport,” D’Arcy said.
The entire cast gathered in London on June 8, 2026, for the world premiere at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square. An enormous dragon skull sat on the red carpet, and fire spouted around the venue. The event celebrated the return of one of television’s biggest shows.
What to Expect From Season 3
Season 3 moves away from political back-and-forth. The war has fully started. Rhaenyra intends to kill Aegon (played by Tom Glynn-Carney) in front of the public to prove her claim to the throne. D’Arcy said the entire acting company felt the raised ambition when they read the scripts. “There is an increased ambition to the set pieces, but also to the narrative drama,” D’Arcy said. “It’s really a conflict that’s been building for two seasons, [it] suddenly ignites, and there is stakes, therefore, everywhere.”
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