Harry Collett Says Filming His Death Scene Opposite Emma D’Arcy Nearly Broke Him

‘House of the Dragon’ has never shied away from heartbreak, and season three is proving to be one of the show’s most emotionally grueling stretches yet. The HBO prequel has spent its first two episodes tearing through the Targaryen family, and the fallout has left both characters and viewers reeling. Fans have been especially vocal about the performances carrying these scenes, with social media erupting after the latest episode aired.

At the center of that conversation is Jacaerys Velaryon, played by Harry Collett, whose death in the Battle of the Gullet became the emotional anchor of episode two. Rhaenyra, played by Emma D’Arcy, learned of her son’s death at the top of the episode and did not take the news well, repeatedly demanding his lifeless body respond to her. The sequence quickly became one of the most talked about moments of the season.

Now Collett is opening up about what it was actually like to be on the receiving end of that performance. According to a clip shared by the fan account Thrones Updates, sourced from an interview with Moviezine, Collett described how difficult it was to stay still and play dead while D’Arcy delivered the scene beside him. He explained that watching the moment unfold on screen later only confirmed how real it had felt in the room, with D’Arcy’s screaming and the physical weight of the scene making it nearly impossible for him to hold his composure.

That kind of praise lines up with what critics and outlets have been saying since the episode dropped. One review called D’Arcy’s reaction to Jace’s death “like a dagger through the heart,” adding that the moment cracked Rhaenyra open in a vulnerable, visceral way. Even casual viewers have echoed that sentiment online, with many predicting awards attention for D’Arcy heading into next year.

D’Arcy has since spoken about the creative choices behind that grief, explaining that the goal was to capture pure denial rather than something more theatrical. “I think the truth is, for Rhaenyra, it’s an insurmountable loss, and it’s a reality that is too terrible to reckon with,” D’Arcy told Variety, describing the instinct to push back against that dawning reality before it could fully set in.

What makes Collett’s comments land even harder is the bond the two actors clearly share off camera. D’Arcy has credited Collett with being especially thoughtful on set the day the scene was filmed, recalling that he gave them space in the morning before quietly checking in at lunch to make sure they were okay. That kind of trust between scene partners often shows up in the final cut, and it seems to be exactly what elevated Jace’s death from a plot beat into one of the season’s defining moments.

For Collett, the weight of playing Jacaerys extended beyond a single scene. He has spoken about how the character represented a different, more thoughtful future for the Seven Kingdoms, which makes his loss sting even more for Rhaenyra and her allies. With the war between the Blacks and the Greens only escalating from here, Jace’s death looks set to echo through the rest of the season.

With ‘House of the Dragon’ only getting more brutal from here, how do you think Jacaerys’ death will shape Rhaenyra’s choices for the rest of season three?