“House of the Dragon” breakout Emma D’Arcy scored their first Golden Globe nomination Monday for their emotional turn as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Twitter is over the moon.
The 30-year-old British actor is the only “House of the Dragon” cast member nominated for their work in the popular “Game of Thrones” prequel series. They received a nod for lead actress in a drama series despite only appearing in the latter half of the 10-episode series, which traded younger actors for older actors to convey a decadelong time jump midway through the first season.
“House of the Dragon” also landed a nomination for drama series.
“hahahahahhahaha,” D’Arcy wrote Monday on their Instagram story after the nominations were announced. “cripes.”
On social media, “House of the Dragon” fans lamented the overall lack of acting nominations for the hit HBO series but were quick to celebrate D’Arcy’s accomplishment. In the fantasy epic, Milly Alcock and D’Arcy both play Rhaenyra, one of multiple potential Targaryen heirs to the Iron Throne.
“Just give Emma D’Arcy their Golden Globe,” tweeted @Mayham_H. “They owned every scene !!!!!!”
“emma d’arcy only being in four out ten hotd episodes yet being the only actor the get a golden globe nomination is kind of iconic of them though,” tweeted @silvcrwings.
“emma d’arcy put their whole BACK into rhaenyra and as the face of house of the dragon,” tweeted @RED3CORAT3. “they best win that golden globe i’m serious.”
While D’Arcy is nominated in the lead actress category opposite Laura Linney (“Ozark”), Imelda Staunton (“The Crown”), Hilary Swank (“Alaska Daily”) and Zendaya (“Euphoria”), some pointed out that the rising TV star is nonbinary and questioned the persistence of gendered acting categories at award shows.
“Aren’t they non-binary?” tweeted @_raviee. “I’m curious how much longer the [Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.] is going to separate awards by gender.”
“absolutely deserved recognition,” tweeted @iCoachMurph. “i can’t help but wonder who classified them as an ‘actress.’”
“being nominated in both categories would be the biggest flex ever for an actor,” tweeted @ParacelsusII.
Joining the chorus of support for D’Arcy was actor Steve Toussaint, who played Lord Corlys Velaryon — also known as the Sea Snake — in “House of the Dragon.”
“This brings me joy!” Toussaint tweeted on Monday. “Best of luck to all these fine performers but a special shout-out to my friend @EmmaZiaDArcy for obvious reasons!”
The 80th Golden Globes, hosted by comedian Jerrod Carmichael, will air Jan. 10 on NBC. See the full list of nominees here.
