Jump to content

Emma D'Arcy

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Emma Darcy.

Emma D'Arcy
D'Arcy in 2024
Born
Emma Zia D'Arcy

(1992-06-27) 27 June 1992 (age 32)
Enfield, England
EducationSt Edmund Hall, Oxford (BA)
OccupationActor
Years active2014–present

Emma Zia D'Arcy (born 27 June 1992) is an English actor known for their roles in the BBC drama Wanderlust (2018), the Amazon Prime series Truth Seekers (2020), and the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon (2022–present). They earned critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award nomination for playing the lead role of Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon. They have also appeared in the drama films Misbehaviour (2020) and Mothering Sunday (2021).

Early life

D'Arcy was born on 27 June 1992,[1][2] in the North London Borough of Enfield. In year six, they played Titania in a school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which they credit for introducing them to acting.[3] They studied Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Art through St Edmund Hall, Oxford, graduating in 2011.[4][5][6] During their time at university, D'Arcy took up theatre on the side with their friends,[7] beginning as a set designer before moving into acting and directing.[8]

Career

Theatre

D'Arcy has appeared in several theatre productions; their earliest appearances were in Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman at the Oxford Playhouse, Romeo and Juliet at London's Southwark Playhouse, and Clickbait at Theatre503.[9] In 2016, D'Arcy played Tammy Frazier in Callisto: A Queer Epic, directed by Thomas Bailey, at the Arcola Theatre.[10] They starred as Bell in the April 2017 production A Girl in School Uniform (Walks Into a Bar) at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.[11] In August 2017, D'Arcy appeared alongside Ben Whishaw in playwright Christopher Shinn's Against, at the Almeida Theatre. Writing for The Arts Desk, Aleks Sierz praised D'Arcy's performance as well as the production's "marvellous moments of wry humour and acute emotional insight."[12]

In 2018, D'Arcy returned to the Arcola Theatre to portray Lucrezia in Hal Coase's adaptation of Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway. D'Arcy was lauded for their "striking" performance and the production was commended for its stylish simplicity and theatrical flair.[13] In 2019, D'Arcy appeared in The Yard Theatre's production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. They were credited for being both riveting and compelling in their role as Elizabeth Proctor. The production won acclaim, with Fiona Mountford of The Evening Standard calling it the finest adaptation of The Crucible they had ever seen.[14] D'Arcy is the Joint Artistic Director of Forward Arena Theatre Company.[15]

Television

D'Arcy made their television debut as Naomi Richards in Nick Payne's 2018 BBC One and Netflix series Wanderlust. In 2019, they appeared as Alma Smith in the drama series Wild Bill. In 2020, they played Sonia Richter in the Amazon Prime Video action drama streaming series Hanna. They also starred as Astrid in the 2020 Amazon Prime Video series Truth Seekers, a comedy horror series starring Nick Frost.[5][16][17][18]

In December 2020, it was announced that D'Arcy had been cast as Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon, a Game of Thrones prequel and adaptation of George R. R. Martin's companion book Fire & Blood.[17][19] D'Arcy admitted that while they had been aware of Game of Thrones, they had not actually seen the House of the Dragon predecessor until after being cast in the role of Rhaenyra. They had however read Fire & Blood.[20] The series began production in April 2021, and its ten-episode first season debuted in August 2022.[21][22] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner and executive producer Ryan Condal revealed D'Arcy's Rhaenyra to be, in many ways, House of the Dragon's most important character, with director Miguel Sapochnik labeling D'Arcy "the face of the show."[23] The importance of the role led to D'Arcy being placed under much scrutiny, particularly after Milly Alcock's rendition of the character in her younger years had been positively received.[24]

D'Arcy's take on the character however was an instant hit,[25] garnering them widespread critical acclaim with critics including it among some of the best performances of the year.[26][27][28] In her review for The A.V. Club, critic Jenna Scherer wrote, "It's impossible to look away whenever D'Arcy's expressive face is in the frame; even when the show itself drags, they electrify every scene they're in.[29] Writing for Comic Book Resources, Philip Etemesi pointed to D'Arcy's strong theatre background as the reason for their "expert handling of such a complex character."[30] Additionally, Marcus Jones of IndieWire praised D'Arcy's turn as Rhaenyra proclaiming: "Though House of the Dragon is an ensemble series, viewers can tell just by D'Arcy's presence that their Rhaenyra is the star of the show."[31]

In November 2022, D'Arcy was honoured by GQ as one of the breakout stars of the year.[32] They were awarded Performer of the Week by TVLine for the week of October 23, 2022, for their performance in the season one finale "The Black Queen"; TVLine later went on to name D'Arcy the year's Biggest Acting Revelation.[33][34] Out magazine's Mey Rude stated, "D'Arcy has stepped up to the plate in a role that would make most actors stagger, and has become an instant star in doing so."[35] For their performance, D'Arcy received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.[36]

Film

In March 2020, D'Arcy appeared in the comedy-drama film Misbehaviour directed by Philippa Lowthorpe.[37] In 2021, they portrayed Emma Hobday in the romantic drama Mothering Sunday. The film was directed by Eva Husson and explored class divides and postwar survivor's guilt in 1924.[38]

Personal life

D'Arcy is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.[39]

Public image

For their role on House of the Dragon, British GQ named them one of the breakout entertainers of 2022, with the magazine stating that House of the Dragon "owed much of its plaudits" to D'Arcy's work on the show.[40] D'Arcy was ranked as the number one breakout star of the year on IMDb's list of top breakout stars of 2022.[41] In October 2022, a video of D'Arcy talking about their favourite cocktail (Negroni Sbagliato) in an interview went viral. The clip became a meme, skyrocketing the spin on the classic Italian cocktail to new levels of popularity.[42] They were later credited with the drink's rise in demand.[43][44][45]

In 2023, The Huffington Post included D'Arcy on its list of rising stars.[46] In April 2023, they were ranked fifth on the Radio Times list of the top 100 most influential people in television.[47][48] For their portrayal of Rhaenyra, D'Arcy was named among Variety's list of 2024 Power Women of Hollywood. Where they were called a "powerhouse" and was quoted by the outlet as saying they were "desperate to see" more women, more transgender, nonconforming people writing and directing the work, because I think that’s how we end up with new and better stories."[49] Also, in 2024, D'Arcy was Included on InStyle's Breakthrough list of "30 Performers Defining Culture Now", and was credited by the magazine for disrupting the status quo through their Blurring the lines between traditionally masculine and feminine style.[50]

Filmography

Film

Year Films Role Notes
2015 United Strong Alone Sniper Short
2019 O Holy Ghost Stephanie Short
2020 Misbehavior Hazel
2021 Mothering Sunday Emma Hobday
2023 The Talent Tommy Short; also producer

Television

Year Series Role Notes
2018 Wanderlust Naomi Richards Main cast
2019 Wild Bill Alma Episode: "Alte und Einsame"
2020 Hanna Sonia Richter 2 episodes
2020 Truth Seekers Astrid Main cast
2022–present House of the Dragon Rhaenyra Targaryen Main role

Music video

Year Artist Title
2016 Artificial Pleasure "I'll Make It Worth Your While"
2017 Little Cub "Too Much Love"

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2014 The Pillowman Michael Oxford Playhouse [51]
2015 Romeo and Juliet Romeo Southwark Playhouse [52]
2016 Clickbait Kat Theatre503 [53]
2016 Callisto: A Queer Epic Tammy Frazier Arcola Theatre [10]
2017 Against Anna Almeida Theatre [54]
2017 A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) Bell West Yorkshire Playhouse [55]
2018 Mrs. Dalloway Lucrezia Arcola Theatre [56]
2019 The Crucible Elizabeth Proctor The Yard Theatre [57]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations received by Emma D'Arcy
Year[a] Award Category Work Result Ref.
2022 IMDb STARmeter Awards Breakout Star House of the Dragon Won [58]
2023 Golden Globe Awards Best Actress – Television Series Drama Nominated [59]
Queerty Awards Best TV Performance Runner-up [60]
MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated [61]
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Drama Series Nominated [62]
2024 Saturn Awards Best Actress in a Television Series Nominated [63]

Notes

  1. ^ The listed year refers to the date of the ceremony.

References

  1. ^ Pirovic, Jasmine (13 June 2024). "Everything to know about 'House of the Dragon' star Emma D'arcy". russh.com. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  2. ^ Walters, Meg (18 September 2022). "The Stunning Transformation Of Emma D'Arcy". thelist.com. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  3. ^ Dunn, Frankie (26 September 2022). "Emma D'Arcy on House of the Dragon and gender politics". I-D. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Stunning Emma D'Arcy | Your Best Fansite Source for Emma D'Arcy » About Emma".
  5. ^ a b "Emma D'Arcy - Roxane Vacca Management". Roxane Vacca Management. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Taking Teddy Hall to the Oxford Playhouse". The Aularian: 13. 6 August 2015. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  7. ^ Ottenberg, Mel (10 October 2022). "Emma D'Arcy Is on Fire". Interview Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  8. ^ Nugent, Annabel (24 September 2022). "Emma D'Arcy: 'I really like playing women and I'm really good at it'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  9. ^ "D'Arcy | Roxane Vacca Management". roxanevacca.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 September 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Day Four: Mini Reviews from 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival // Theatre Eddys". theatreeddys.com. 13 August 2016. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Theatre review: A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds". British Theatre Guide. 12 April 2017. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Against, Almeida Theatre review - Ben Whishaw is a modern-day Jesus". theartsdesk.com. 19 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  13. ^ Naish, Jenny (1 October 2018). "Review: Mrs Dalloway at The Arcola Theatre". Theatre Weekly. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.; "Theatre review: Mrs Dalloway at Arcola Theatre (Studio 2)". British Theatre Guide. 25 September 2018. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  14. ^ McLeod, Daniel (3 April 2019). "The Crucible at The Yard Theatre | Theatre review". The Upcoming. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.; Mountford, Fiona (3 April 2019). "The Crucible review — Intense production mashes modern and traditional". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Emma D'Arcy". press.amazonstudios.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  16. ^ Moore, Camille (6 August 2020). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Emma D'Arcy". TVOvermind. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  17. ^ a b Low, Elaine (11 December 2020). "'Game of Thrones' Prequel 'House of the Dragon' Adds Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy". Variety. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Emma D'Arcy | TVmaze". www.tvmaze.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  19. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (11 December 2020). "'House Of the Dragon': Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith & Emma D'Arcy To Star In HBO's 'Game of Thrones' Prequel". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  20. ^ Huff, Lauren (10 October 2022). "Emma D'Arcy had never seen 'Game of Thrones' before nabbing 'House of the Dragon' role". EW.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  21. ^ Romano, Nick (5 May 2021). "House of the Dragon unleashes first look at cast for Game of Thrones prequel". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  22. ^ Gonzales, Erica (5 May 2021). "A Game of Thrones Prequel Show, House of the Dragon, Is Coming". Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  23. ^ Romano, Nick (13 July 2022). "How 'Game of Thrones' enters a new age with 'House of the Dragon'". EW.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  24. ^ "House of the Dragon viewers give verdict to cast change as Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke make first appearances". HELLO!. 26 September 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  25. ^ Lamadrid, Amanda (21 December 2022). "House Of The Dragon's Emma D'Arcy Almost Didn't Get The Part Of Rhaenyra". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  26. ^ Williams, Jordan (1 November 2022). "What Emma D'Arcy Is Doing After House Of The Dragon". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  27. ^ Nguyen, Jessie (28 October 2022). "'House of the Dragon': 10 Scenes that Prove Emma D'Arcy is Perfect As Adult Rhaenyra Targaryen". Collider. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  28. ^ Dominick, Nora (21 December 2022). "33 TV Actors Who Gave Such Memorable Performances, They Were The Best Of The Year". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  29. ^ "The 16 best TV performances of 2022". The A.V. Club. 20 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  30. ^ Etemesi, Philip (20 December 2022). "Jenna Ortega & 9 Other Breakout Stars Of 2022". CBR. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  31. ^ Jones, Marcus (4 January 2023). "Emma D'Arcy Is a Consummate Lead on 'House of the Dragon'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  32. ^ "The GQ Men of the Year Honourees: introducing GQ's Class of 2022". British GQ. 4 November 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  33. ^ TVLine, Team (29 October 2022). "Performer of the Week: Emma D'Arcy". TVLine. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  34. ^ TVLine, Team (22 December 2022). "2022 in Review: Best First Kiss, Worst CGI, Most Improved Series, Lamest Cameo and 80+ More TV Superlatives". TVLine. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  35. ^ "15 Best TV and Movie Performances by LGBTQ+ Actors in 2022". www.out.com. 26 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  36. ^ Petski, Patrick Hipes,Denise; Hipes, Patrick; Petski, Denise (12 December 2022). "Golden Globe Nominations: The Complete List". Deadline. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ Morales, Wilson (19 December 2019). "Trailer To Dramedy 'Misbehaviour' Featuring Gugu Mbatha-Raw As 1st Black Woman To Win Miss World". Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  38. ^ "Mothering Sunday review: corset-loosening drama". BFI. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  39. ^ Iftikhar, Asyia (21 July 2022). "Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon has a non-binary lead". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  40. ^ "The GQ Men of the Year Honourees: introducing GQ's Class of 2022". British GQ. 4 November 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  41. ^ "IMDb Best of 2022 | Top Breakout Stars". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  42. ^ Diaz, Ana (11 October 2022). "Why House of the Dragon fans are so thirsty for the Negroni sbagliato". Polygon. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  43. ^ "'90s Drinks Are Back—and More Cocktail Trends for 2023, According to Bartenders". Martha Stewart. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  44. ^ Rekstis, Charley (11 October 2022). "Bartenders Are Running Out Of Campari And It's Emma D'Arcy's Fault". Mashed. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  45. ^ "The Negroni Sbagliato Gets Its Moment in the Limelight". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  46. ^ "12 Rising Stars To Look Out For In 2023". HuffPost UK. 2 January 2023. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  47. ^ Morris, Seren (3 April 2023). "TV's most influential people: The top 10 stars". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  48. ^ "RadioTimes.com TV 100 2022 – the full list". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  49. ^ Saperstein, Emiliana Betancourt,Jack Dunn,Thania Garcia,Todd Gilchrist,Paula Hendrickson,Carole Horst,Karen Idelson,Michael Maloney,Jenelle Riley,Rosemary Rossi,Pat (23 October 2024). "From Emma Stone to June Squibb and Rachel Kondo: Power Women of Hollywood 2024". Variety. Retrieved 23 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  50. ^ "These 30 People Are Defining Culture Now". InStyle. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  51. ^ "Review: The Pillowman". The Oxford Student. 30 October 2014. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  52. ^ "Review: Romeo & Juliet @ Said Business School". Oxford Mail. 23 July 2015. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  53. ^ "Review: Clickbait at Theatre503". Exeunt Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  54. ^ Felperin, Leslie (19 August 2017). "'Against': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  55. ^ "Theatre review: A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds". British Theatre Guide. 12 April 2017. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  56. ^ Naish, Jenny (1 October 2018). "Review: Mrs Dalloway at The Arcola Theatre". Theatre Weekly. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  57. ^ "D'Arcy | Roxane Vacca Management". roxanevacca.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 September 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  58. ^ "Emma D'Arcy Receives IMDb Breakout Starmeter Award". 6 December 2022. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  59. ^ Hipes, Patrick; Petski, Denise (12 December 2022). "Golden Globe Nominations: The Complete List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  60. ^ "Performance - TV award winners in the 2023 Queerties". Queerty. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  61. ^ Schneider, Michael (5 April 2023). "Top Gun: Maverick, Stranger Things, The Last of Us Lead MTV Movie & TV Awards 2023 Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  62. ^ Anderson, Erik (11 July 2023). "The Boys, Yellowjackets, Abbott Elementary lead 2023 HCA TV Awards nominations". AwardsWatch. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  63. ^ Neglia, Matt (5 February 2024). "The 2023 Saturn Award Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emma_D%27Arcy&oldid=1254075077"