Milly Alcock on filming *that* House of the Dragon scene with Matt Smith

Milly Alcock and Matt Smith in House of the Dragon
(Image credit: HBO)

House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock has spoken out about filming a particular scene in the latest episode of the Game of Thrones prequel – turn back now if you haven't seen House of the Dragon episode 4 because there are spoilers ahead.

The episode sees Rhaenyra (Alcock) and her uncle Daemon (Matt Smith) sneak out of the Red Keep for a night of debauchery in King's Landing. After having several drinks, Daemon takes Rhaenyra to a brothel, where the pair end up in a passionate embrace. Standard fare for the incestuous Targaryens, perhaps, but the first scene of this nature that's made its way into the prequel. 

However, Alcock said it wasn't awkward to film. "No, strangely enough. [Matt Smith and I] were just kind of mates. So, it was quite comfortable," she told the New York Post. "We had an intimacy coordinator, and we worked with her through the rehearsal process and blocked it out months before."

She added: "Clare Kilner, our director, made sure that we hadn’t seen any of the brothel stuff until we were shooting. So, that was our first time walking through the brothel, and he’s guiding her through the room with all of these other bodies. So, that was quite shocking. You’re like, 'This is kind of weird and silly.'"

House of the Dragon airs on Sundays on HBO and HBO Max, before following on Mondays in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV. Make sure you never miss an episode with our handy House of the Dragon release schedule.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.