House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock says her newfound fame “f--ing sucks”

16 September 2022, 16:55

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By Rachel Michaella Finn

"It just makes me incredibly anxious. Me seeing my face constantly is straining. No one should have to do that. It f*ckin’ sucks, man."

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House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock has opened up on the attention she’s been receiving since starring in the Game of Thrones spin-off series.

The 22-year-old Australian actor is taking on her first major acting role in the series, playing the role of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in the fantasy epic.

But thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the show – and her character specifically – Milly has found all the new attention quite hard to deal with.

In a new interview, Milly opened up on how she’d been coping with the overnight fame that’s come with the role, saying that the attention she’s received on social media can be quite a lot to handle.

Milly Alcock opens up about her sudden fame amid House of the Drag success. Picture: Alamy

Speaking to Nylon, she said: “It's like a part-time job, really. I don't know. I'm trying to not look at it and trying not to engage with it because it doesn't benefit me. It just makes me incredibly anxious. Me seeing my face constantly is straining. No one should have to do that. It fuckin’ sucks, man."

“I don't know how the socialites of the world can do that. It's kind of driving me off the wall. It's an incredibly difficult space to navigate.”

She also spoke about how her newfound fame can make her feel isolated, as most of her friends are doing “normal” things.

She added: “There's very few people who've had an experience like how I've had, and finding them is really difficult. I don't really know anyone who's kind of gone through what I'm going through. All of my friends are very normal and go to uni and just do very basic things, and my family's not in the arts whatsoever, so it's strange.

“It feels like someone's opened Pandora's box and you're kind of just looking through the looking glass. It's a bit Alice in Wonderland-y. It's fucking weird.”

Milly Alcock says her newfound House of the Dragon fame makes her anxious. Picture: HBO via Alamy

House of the Dragon broke records when the first episode dropped back in August after drawing in the biggest audience for a new original series in HBO's history. Almost 10 million people tuned in to watch episode 1, and each week, the figures have been rising.

Milly has been at the centre of that as the immediate fan-favourite Rhaenyra but the star will soon be leaving the show mid-way through season 1.

Milly's final episode as Princess Rhaenyra will air on Sunday September 18th, before the show jumps ahead 10 years and Emma D'Arcy takes over the role.

That said, viewers may still see Milly return to the role for season 2. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Emily Carey (who plays young Alicent Hightower) teased that "conversations have happened" regarding her and Milly returning as the younger versions of Alicent and Rhaenyra in season 2.