From Doctor Who to Supergirl, these actors have some impressive credits under their names
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGES BY HOME BOX OFFICE
This Game Of Thrones prequel show has had viewers on the edge of their seats ever since it first aired. And today, the second episode of its third season aired, continuing to heighten the stakes. This show is full of dragons, bloodshed, politics and an abundance of twists and turns. It also boasts a cast full of openly LGBTQIA+ actors, as well as queer icons.
If you’re someone who often gets distracted when watching shows, wondering where you recognise the actors from, then this one’s for you.
Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra Targaryen)
This actor and theatre-maker has a lot of interesting projects under their belt. If you love short films, you’ll definitely want to check out Emma as Tommy in The Talent (it’s currently streaming on Disney+). They have also portrayed Emma Hobday in the period drama Mothering Sunday and Sonia Richter in the crime thriller Hanna. On stage, they have received much praise for their performance in Christopher Shinn’s Against, where they performed alongside Ben Whishaw.
And we are, of course, still not over this queer and non-binary heartthrob also being responsible for making lesbians and queers flock to bars to order Negroni Sbagliato.
Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower)
While this star and her character are both straight, Alicent and Rhaenyra have so much chemistry on screen (both their older and younger selves) that all four actors who portray the two characters have had their scenes made into sapphic fan edits, often soundtracked by Chappell Roan’s Good Luck Babe.
And one look at Olivia’s resume and one thing is clear: she loves a book-to-screen adaptation. House Of The Dragon is far from her first time acting in one. In 2015, she portrayed Rachel in Me, Earl And The Dying Girl, in 2018, she was cast in Ready Player One, and last year she garnered much praise for portraying the unhinged Cherry in The Girlfriend.
Sonoya Mizuno (Mysaria aka “The White Worm”)
DIVAs were giddy when, in season two, Sonoya and Emma’s characters shared an unscripted smooch, marking the show’s first sapphic kiss. While the Japanese and English actor, model and ballet dancer [pictured in article header] has never disclosed her sexuality, we’ve loved seeing her take on roles in queer shows and films like Too Much and Am I OK?.
Abigail Thorn (Sharako Lohar)
We were all ecstatic when we got to see this DIVA favourite step into the role (and very cool boots) of the swashbuckling Sharako Lohar last season. Abigail last graced the pages of our magazine in 2024 to talk all about taking on the role of Sharako, being part of the Star Wars franchise and writing and starring in the short film Dracula’s Ex-Girlfriend (currently streaming on Nebula). I first interviewed her for DIVA back in 2022, where we spoke about her role in Django and her groundbreaking play The Prince, which would debut later that year. The lesbian and trans actor, writer and director has had a very exciting career, and we’re all eager to see what she will get up to next.
Bethany Antonia (Baela Targaryen)
From Doctor Who, Sense and Sensibility and Doctors, this openly queer Birmingham-born actor has some impressive titles in her resume. Fans have loved her portrayal of the fierce dragon rider Baela Targaryen in House Of The Dragon. When the actor unfortunately received a racist message on social media, she responded by using it to come out online, writing: “Wait till they find out I’m gay too…” Her followers praised her response and showed their support.
Emily Carey (Alicent Hightower)
This openly queer actor has confirmed multiple times that she and her co-star, Milly Alcock, intentionally portrayed Alicent and Rhaenyra’s relationship as romantic instead of strictly platonic, despite it not being canon.
House Of The Dragon isn’t the first time she’s portrayed the younger version of a character. In 2017, she portrayed Wonder Woman’s child self in the 2017 film, and a year later, she played a young Lara Croft in Tomb Raider.
Since saying goodbye to Allicent, we’ve loved seeing her lead Geek Girl as Harriet Manners.
Milly Alcock (Rhaenyra Targaryen)
Since leaving House Of The Dragon, this actor has made a big name for herself. She has shared a screen with Meghann Fahy and Julianne Moore in Sirens. She was also introduced to the DC cinematic universe as Supergirl in last year’s Superman film. And this month, we got to see her work her chaotic magic in the new Supergirl film. We also loved to see her embracing queer readings of the character.
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