Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke talk House of the Dragon and Negroni Spagliato Meme

Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke may be engaged in on-screen battles in House of the Dragon, but their recent interview revealed nothing but mutual admiration and camaraderie.

During the Entertainment Weekly cover shoot in London, the stars provided insights to the magazine about what to expect when season 2 premieres on HBO and Max on June 16.

D'Arcy described their character, Rhaenyra Targaryen, as “somewhat unleashed this season," noting, "This season really investigates rage and maybe in particular a woman's rage." 

Regarding Rhaenyra's former childhood friend turned adversary, Alicent Hightower, Cooke explained, "All of a sudden she's of no use to anyone. She's done what she was supposed to do — put her son on the throne — and now she's discarded. Who is she if she can't be the person to implement wisdom?”

The connection between D'Arcy and Cooke seems to only add more drama to House of the Dragon.

Fans immediately connected with the now-famous Negroni Spagliato meme, which started from a seemingly simple moment when Cooke asked D'Arcy about their drink preference. The small exchange became a sensation across TikTok.

“I did hate it for a very long time," Cooke confessed to Entertainment Weekly.

"I was in the pub. A woman opened the door for me and she said with a thick Spanish accent, ‘Stunnin’!’ I was just like, ‘Oh my God. Over a decade's worth of work reduced to a single word in my lexicon.'"

D'Arcy continued, “I don't have anything illuminating to say on it because it's very hard to know how to react when you become a meme."

House of the Dragon centers on the conflict between Rhaenyra and her half-brother Aegon II Targaryen, played by Tom Glynn-Carney, as they fight for control of the Iron Throne of Westeros.

Rhaenyra's followers are called "the Blacks," while Aegon's supporters are known as "the Greens." During the shoot, D'Arcy and Cooke represented their sides by wearing their respective colors.

D'Arcy mentioned that season 2 immediately picks up pace following the events of the season 1 finale. In that finale, Rhaenyra faced the death of her son Lucerys Velaryon and dealt with losing her throne.

“Rhaenyra is a person devastated. She’s rigid with grief,” D'Arcy said. 

“Grief can be a really dislocating force. It can separate us from our family, from our friends, from our allies, almost as if the bereft person remains with the dead. And, of course, she's going to have to find some way of traveling back to the world of the living in order to fight for her inheritance.” 

D'Arcy is considering their options after starring in the next Game of Thrones series, but one thing they hope for is to appear on RuPaul's Drag Race.

"It is on my radar. It's not something that I have ever dared dream, but it is on my radar," they said.