The Story of Milly Alcock, the “House of the Dragon” Star, Who Used to Wash Dishes and Never Watched GoT
The Game of Thrones TV series has discovered many talents: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Jason Momoa, and many others. All of them acted in movies before that, but they became stars after the screen adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s novel saw the light. In August 2022, the prequel of the famous series was released. The events that take place in House of the Dragon unfold about 200 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. The actress who plays the starring role is Milly Alcock, and she’s known mainly in Australia.
At CHEERY, we became curious to learn more about this girl. She has every chance to become the next Emilia Clarke, who’s won the hearts of all so many viewers across the world.
The beginning of her acting career
Milly Alcock can’t really be called an aspiring actress. Her first appearance onscreen happened when she was 14. So at 22, she has more than a dozen roles under her belt. However, her filmography includes mostly Australian TV series, where she appeared in just a few episodes at a time.
Milly says that she’s dreamed of becoming an actress since childhood. But in her dreams, she’s always wanted to become a big Hollywood star. And to make her dream come true, she is ready almost for anything. For example, when choosing between a role in a series and her studies at Sydney’s Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, she chose the former. She said, “I knew that this opportunity would be so much more of a valuable experience than getting my piece of paper.”
Of course, she feels anxious about not finishing the school, but she didn’t want to miss the opportunity of working alongside amazing actors. This was how she landed the role in the series Upright. In 2018, Alcock won a Casting Guild of Australia award in the Television career category.
House of the Dragon
Unfortunately, playing minor roles in various series didn’t earn her enough money for a living. During the breaks between filming and auditions, the young actress washed dishes in a restaurant. But one phone call changed everything. That night, Milly was cooking dinner at a friend’s house when her agent called her and said that she got the starring role in House of the Dragon. Recalling the event, she said, “I never thought this would happen to me. I was washing dishes in a restaurant, living in my mum’s attic. This doesn’t happen to people like me, so it was incredibly quick.”
It’s interesting that Alcock had never watched Game of Thrones before that call. She had no idea about its plot twists or the characters millions of fans from all over the world were so fond of. Of course, after getting cast, she watched it to prepare. She binged the whole 8 seasons in 2 weeks. After that, she understood why people loved it so much.
When filming started, Milly at first couldn’t believe it was for real. She couldn’t get rid of the feeling that she would be fired. But this never happened. Slowly, she started enjoying the process. For example, she was thrilled with the throne room, which made her feel like she was entering the set for the first time every single time she walked in.
Today, many people compare Milly Alcock’s character with Emilia Clarke. But the young actress says that she didn’t draw inspiration from Daenerys. Of course, she enjoyed Emilia Clarke’s performance, but she was more inspired by Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.
However, the characters Alcock and Clarke play are compared for a reason: their stories are similar in a certain way. House of the Dragon reveals the history of Daenerys and Jon Snow’s ancestors. The events unfold around Princess Rhaenyra, who is the heir of the Iron Throne, but not everyone around her find this acceptable. According to the series creators, the story will be full of the court intrigues for which we loved Game of Thrones so much, and, surely, scenes with dragons.
Her plans to change Hollywood
Milly Alcock is not a typical Hollywood star. Her parents and brothers are not really interested in movies. According to the actress, they are more passionate about sports, specifically rugby. Her unique appearance is also her advantage. Milly says that Hollywood has set up the ideal of how young people should look in movies, but this has nothing to do with reality.
The actress admits that it’s not easy to deal with fame that has fallen on her. She feels constantly under pressure. People tend to compare her with the previous stars of Game of Thrones, and she doesn’t know whether she’ll be able to win the hearts of millions as Clarke did. Despite her fears, giving up is never on Milly’s mind. She says that she’ll do her best not to let down the fans of the Westeros world.
Did you watch Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon? Why do you think these series are so popular? Share your opinion in the comments below.