After building its characters’ relationships in season one, of HBO’s will see its leads flung across Westeros — much to the disappointment of its close-knit cast. The second season of the prequel will continue to chronicle the House Targaryen civil war, as Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), Prince Daemon ( ) and their Dragonstone forces face off against Alicent ( ) and her children for claim of the Iron Throne. But that means the stars were often off shooting their own individual storylines this year, rather than group scenes together.
At the show’s New York premiere on Monday, D’Arcy admitted filming without Smith and Cooke was “kind of lonely” but noted, “There’s so many beautiful actors on the show, it’s an ever-mutating thing. Certainly, I think it’ll make the active viewership kind of more exciting because there are so many parts to the series that I’ve not had the chance to watch yet. So I get to watch as sort of a pure fan, these other narrative strands.
” They added of missing their two co-stars, “It really makes you know what you lost, I suppose — every time we do get to work [together], it’s a great privilege and very exciting and very thrilling and nourishes something because it sort of feels old. So much of us making the first series, well for me, was falling in love with them — with Matt, with Liv, with other members of the cast — so anytime you get joy in that is a treat. But shows have to move on, I think that’s what keeps it excitin.
