The sixth episode of the Game of Thrones spin-off series House of the Dragon Season 2 featured a same-sex kiss between two major characters. The kiss occurred between Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno). Interestingly, however, Mizuno reveals that the same-sex kiss was actually unscripted.
As shared in a new interview, there were many meetings between D’Arcy, Mizuno, and showrunner Ryan Condal regarding the scene in which the kiss took place. The moment occurs when Rhaenyra and Mysaria share a tender moment after the events that transpired at Rook’s Rest. After opening up with one another, they embrace and hug one another, and eventually kiss.
Here’s what Mizuno told The Wrap about the moment:
“It wasn’t scripted as a kiss. I think it was scripted as … there’s just breath between them or something, and then whatever happens is interrupted,” Mizuno shared.
She added the aforementioned meetings that took place to see how they all felt about the evolving story, with “many conversations” having taken place. D’Arcy appears to have been the one to suggest the kiss be included:
“Because we were separate in the room … [and] Mysaria has told this story, [D’Arcy] felt the instinct to hold her, to comfort her,” she added. “From that, it felt so organic to go into the kiss.”
The two apparently didn’t want the kiss to feel “queer-baity in any sense.” Rather, they simply felt that after they shared their hug that it was “emotionally so right.”
“I don’t think either of them have been hugged like that in a long time, if not ever,” Mizuno said. “I think it was the hug — the intimate vulnerability of that hug — which which morphed into this very tender and passionate kiss, which was quite … amazing. I think it’s very thrilling in the moment for both of them.”
It’s certainly an interesting trajectory for these characters to take, and one that we’ll have to see how audiences respond to. However, it seems like House of the Dragon co-stars Mizuno and D’Arcy did their best to make sure the kiss felt organic and earned by the characters involved.