Yahoo News House of the Dragon star shares theory about incestuous relationship
House of the Dragon star Phia Saban has shared a theory regarding her character Helaena Targaryen’s incestuous relationship with her brother.
While book readers would have already been aware that the Targaryens normalised and encouraged incest during their centuries on the Iron Throne, the marriages between uncle and niece Daemon (Matt Smith) and Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), as well as siblings Helaena and Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), during House of the Dragon’s first season were still just as difficult to stomach for them as they were for viewers unfamiliar with the story.
Speaking to Digital Spy ahead of the Game of Thrones prequel's return to screens for season two last week, Saban shared her thoughts on the dynamic between Helaena and Aegon as sibling-spouses and how they really feel about each other.
Related: House of the Dragon star teases chaotic season 2 finale
"My theory with it is that I think there's actually almost too much understanding that it would be painful to get into it," she explained.
"So it's almost like they are both these people who feel way too much, and one of them goes out and one of them goes in to try and make up for that. And I think that they’re almost repentant magnets in that way.
"I just feel like the tragedy is that the potential for that understanding is too large. And they're scared of that."
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We also caught up with Glynn-Carney, who opened up about building and navigating that relationship on screen.
"It felt like we'd sort of skipped a stage, really, because Phia and I knew each other anyway beforehand, and she's someone that I trust implicitly with everything, with work, with personal life and all that stuff," he said.
"So it felt like the bridge was already built. In terms of their relationship as characters? I mean, it's all over the place, isn’t it?"
"Yeah, we’re also just also gagging for more things together," added Saban. "We want to explore it more."
House of the Dragon season 2 airs on HBO in the US, and on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK. Season 1 is available on the same platforms. Game of Thrones seasons 1-8 are available on DVD and Blu-ray.
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