House of the Dragon’s Emma D’Arcy thought they had to ‘pretend’ to be a woman to succeed
Emma D’Arcy. (Getty/Amy Sussman)
Non-binary actor Emma D’Arcy has explained how they felt they had to hide their identity in order to make it – and how they now realise how wrong they were.
The House of the Dragon star, who was nominated for a Best Actress award for their portrayal of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen at Tuesday night’s (10 January) Golden Globes, said that the pressure was “unsustainable”.
Speaking to E! News, the 30-year-old said: “When I was starting out, I really felt that I had to present as a woman in order to find success in this industry.
“It wasn’t sustainable, and I stopped pretending. And weirdly at that point, I got nominated for Best Actress for the Golden Globes, which is like beautifully ironic.”
While D’Arcy didn’t take home the Golden Globe, they explained how just the fact of being nominated shows how trans and non-binary representation in TV and film is increasing.
“I think the most important thing is for me it implies that space for trans people and gender non-conforming people is getting bigger all the time so I feel very privileged.”
Emma D’Arcy has previously explained how their decision to come out publicly as non-binary was largely driven by wanting to create space for other gender non-conforming people in the TV and film industry.
“In terms of queerness, the only good reason for being out as a non-binary person, publicly and professionally, is that I hope it will let younger people who may feel similar know that there is room in this industry for them,” they told The Independent.
“Because there was definitely a point where I thought, ‘Oh no, this is not going to work. I definitely need to have long hair and make-up to do this job.’ And that’s just not true.”
D’Arcy took over the red carpet at last night’s ceremony, serving queer excellence in a bold skirt-suit combo.
Discussing the outfit, they said: “The vibe is child piano prodigy and maybe the recital has not gone well.
“I’m also doing trans because I’m wearing some trousers and a skirt at the same time and nothing says non-binary like wearing both a skirt and trousers.”
The star might not have bagged an award but there is no prize comparable to living life as your true self. For that, Emma D’Arcy, we salute you.
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