House of the Dragon star Emma D'Arcy, who recently took over the role of Rhaenyra Targaryen after a ten-year time jump in episode six, spoke about the "grooming" relationship between her character Rhaenyra and her uncle Daemon.

According to Insider, D'Arcy – who replaced Milly Alcock for the role – told the Independent tabloid that the problem with their relationship was more to do with their age gap rather than their blood relation as Rhaenyra was around 15 years old while Daemon is 31. "This is essentially a grooming scenario," the 30-year-old actor said.

"The idea that a teenage girl is in any way able to consent to that sexual interaction is a mess. There is no way that power can be equally distributed in that relationship." During Alcock’s time as the Princess, Rhaenyra has a sexually-charged relationship with her uncle which almost results in the pair having sex in episode four.

Despite horrifying viewers with depictions of incest, the episode was reportedly praised for its sensitive depiction of scenes of a sexual nature. "This isn't something I know a lot about, but I do know that something very electric and erotic can happen between people who share genetic material and don't grow up together,” D'Arcy added.

“That's always exciting and dangerous, especially when one is young. He offers Rhaenyra new horizons, and I don't know about you, but I find that a deeply attractive quality in a person." She added, "It's very much open to interpretation, but I think impotence is a big theme with Daemon, so that's my read on it."

New episodes of House of the Dragon air on Disney+ Hotstar on every Monday morning.

Also Read: House of the Dragon showrunner explains 10-year time jump with Emma D’Arcy & Olivia Cooke’s arrival