'House of the Dragon' Fans Have Opinions About Who Plays Rhaenyra After the Time Jump

Fans of Game of Thrones had high expectations for the first official prequel, House of the Dragon. And as of right now, those expectations have been exceeded. But one thing fans aren't so sure about is the planned time jump at some point in the first season and how the show will feel once a few cast members have been replaced to age up characters. Mainly, Milly Alcock as Rhaenyra.

At some point in the season, Emma D'Arcy replaces the actress so they can be the older version of the Targaryen princess. But when does Emma D'Arcy play Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon and how will the Game of Thrones spinoff feel once Milly is no longer the young and hopeful princess of Westeros?

In episode 2, there's a small time jump that's explained when Rhaenyra says her mom has been dead for six months. But in Episode 3, we see an even larger time jump, which makes Rhaenyra no longer a young teenage princess. At some point in Episode 3, we see Emma take over Milly's role as Rhaenyra.

But don't worry just yet. It looks like Milly will still be part of the series. So it's possible that, when Emma starts to play Rhaenyra in the time jump, the remainder of the season could skip around and we'll still see the younger version as she becomes the adult princess who still fights for the throne.

Starting in Episode 3 of House of the Dragon, Emma will also play Rhaenyra. According to IMDb, Emma plays the Targaryen princess from the third episode on. But IMDb also shows that Milly is still part of the season. Still, the plan has always been for House of the Dragon Season 1 to span decades to help tell a bigger story of the family.

Matt Smith, who plays Daemon Targaryen, spoke to Total Film about how much he "loved having two actors play the same part" in the show. Since he plays both the younger and older versions of his character, he got to work with both Milly and Emma.

"Whereas you have to kind of imagine that stuff sometimes, there was just a real, physical, energetic change between the two actors that I found really useful and really entertaining to watch," he told the outlet.

Although Matt spoke highly of both Milly and Emma in the shared role of Rhaenyra, House of the Dragon fans aren't sure what to think of getting used to someone new in the role. And that could be because Milly has done such a solid job of playing the younger version of the princess.

But it makes it that much harder for fans to come to terms with saying goodbye to Milly.

One fan tweeted that they already love Milly so much that they "almost don't want to see" Emma replace her. Another fan shared that "it's going to be sad" when Milly is replaced.

It all just boils down to a fast and dedicated love for Milly. But, more than likely, in time, fans will develop the same affection for Emma.

Watch House of the Dragon on Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO and HBO Max.