Milly Alcock: 5 Things To Know About The Breakout Star Playing Young Rhaenyra On ‘HOTD’

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House of the Dragon will take fans back in time to hundreds of years before the events of Game of Thrones. The HBO series, which premieres on August 21, is all about House Targaryen and who should rule the Iron Throne. There are key Targaryen figures in the series, including Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, played by breakout star Milly Alcock.

Who is Milly Alcock? The 22-year-old Australian actress is one of Hollywood’s new rising stars. HollywoodLife has everything you need to know about Milly.

1. Milly plays young Rhaenyra.

Milly has the key role of young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon. Rhaenyra is the first and only living child of Queen Aemma Arryn and King Viserys I Targaryen, who is King of the Seven Kingdoms. She is positioned to be queen from a young age and becomes beloved amongst the people. However, the line of succession is soon questioned by nobles and more. The older version of Rhaenyra is played by Emma D’Arcy.

2. Milly is from Australia.

Milly grew up in Sydney, Australia. When she got the role of Rhaenyra, she was living with her mom. “I was washing dishes in a restaurant, living in my mum’s attic. This doesn’t happen to people like me, so it was incredibly quick,” the actress told Stellar about the moment she heard she got the role.

3. Milly has appeared in several Australian series.

Milly had only done Australian television before getting her House of the Dragon role. Just before she got cast in the HBO series, Milly starred as Meg in the series Upright. She won the Casting Guild of Australia Rising Star Award in 2018. She also had notable roles in Reckoning and The Gloaming.

4. Milly is close with her co-star Emily Carey.

Playing the younger versions of Rhaenyra and Alicent allowed Milly and Emily Carey to become “very close,” Milly told Hype. They met virtually before filming began to talk about the relationship between their characters. “We’re both young women, both doing a major show that usually is based around men. So we both developed a kindred relationship. I adore her and, like Rhaenyra, I’m very protective of her: I feel like she’s my little sister,” Milly said.

5. Milly is a photographer.

Milly picked up photography during lockdown. “The ability to control an image and evoke a certain feeling is what drew it to me. And not always searching for the aesthetic, but a movement and a motive of the person in front of the lens that gets you interested,” the actress told Flaunt.