Gayle Rankin Loves That Alys Pisses People Off (Exclusive)

Gayle Rankin loves that Alys Rivers gets under people’s skin. The House of the Dragon star tells TV Insider it’s an “honor” to play a character who represents a woman’s intuition through a magical fantasy lens, and she feels it makes total sense that some people don’t like the woman because of it.

Ewan Mitchell previously joked that it was “love at first sight” for Aemond when he first met Alys at Harrenhal in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 2. The duo has slowly built a romantic bond over the course of the season, one that Rankin has seen fans online speak ill of.

“It’s really interesting how people really want to believe that she’s just manipulating the f*** out of him,” Rankin says with a laugh as we discussed Episode 7, the penultimate episode of the season. The witch, of course, is manipulating Aemond, and Rankin is the first to admit it. But she says viewers who think Alys doesn’t have real romantic and sexual attraction to Aemond are wrong: “Two things can be true at the same time.”

Rankin says the “full truth” about Alys is soon to come in the Game of Thrones spinoff. She says that, in next week’s House of the Dragon finale, “you’re going to see her.” Warning: House of the Dragon spoilers ahead.

Theo Whiteman/HBO

In the penultimate episode, Alys met Aemond’s mother for the first time, and the Oedipus complex clues she caught onto earlier this season clicked into place. Alicent (Olivia Cooke) arrived at Harrenhal to try to kill her son. Aemond was blind to her scheming, despite Alys’ warnings. While Aemond was busy fantasizing about ruling Harrenhal with Alys and their sons with Alicent’s blessing, Alys could sense that Alicent meant to do him harm while pretending to be exceedingly tender. Alys was right; Aemond learned the hard way, and now Alicent has fled the mysterious Harrenhal.

Here, Rankin breaks down Alys and Aemond’s scenes in House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 7, setting up the “truth” to be revealed in next week’s finale.

What is it about Aemond that draws Alys to him? Is he a means to an end or does she really feel for him?

Gayle Rankin: It’s a combination. I think you could ask yourself that question of any really deep, intense, emotional, romantic partnership. It comes with so many different things. It’s an exchange. But I do think there are real feelings there. I do.

What kind of conversations did you and Ewan have about that?

We did talk a lot about that, about allowing it to feel nuanced and messy and to keep people guessing, but also I do think we wanted to agree on the fact that there is something real that we’re building, because we wanted to keep that really grounded.

It’s really interesting how people really want to believe that she’s just manipulating the f*** out of him. [Laughs]

I mean, she could be and have feelings for him, right?

Totally. Two things can be true at the same time.

Theo Whiteman/HBO

Do you think the manipulation part is true at this time?

There’s a lot of manipulation going on. She’s desperate.

In the scope of the show, I understand why she is desperate, but I’m curious to have you define the desperation.

Well, I don’t know if we really know. I thank the audience and the fans for sticking with it without knowing as much as we want them to know. There’s a lot more to be revealed about her, and I think we’re going to learn soon.

There’s been buildup. Her real intentions are coming at some point in the show.

Yeah, yeah.

Did Alice immediately think that Alicent was there to kill him? Define her “idiot” comment in her final scene of the episode.

Oh, yeah. I do think she really was like, “She’s either going to kill you physically or kill you emotionally.” She felt something very clearly and saw something very clearly. And I think the idiot line is just like, “I f***ing told you. I f***ing told you.”

Theo Whiteman/HBO

There’s something interesting with this character about her being a witch, but there’s also this woman’s intuition motif along with it. I feel like she’s a manifestation of a woman’s intuition. What are your thoughts on that?

[A woman’s] instinct. I think it’s amazing. I feel really honored to get to do it because I think people are mad about it. They’re mad and pissed. They have a lot of thoughts about it, and they turn it into manipulation or evil or red flags or whatever people want to do with female power and intuition. Go with whomever your god is. I think it’s really cool that this show is exposing that.

When Alice says, “What did you see?” when Aemond is frightened out of bed earlier in the episode, do you think she has any clue what he was imagining? Clearly she can tell something’s up.

I don’t think she knows. That’s when things start to feel much more real for her because they’re a bit more Bonnie and Clyde toward the end of this episode, rather than Misery. It’s like going from Kathy Bates to Bonnie.

That’s a great analogy for it. And so is that the first moment she has an inkling of his Oedipus complex? He’s definitely shown some hints of it.

I mean, when he calls me mother in Episode [TK], I’m a bit like, “Hmm?” [Laughs]

Jot that down. Remember that for later.

Yeah, I think so. Sadly, she’s willing to take anything. It’s kind of devastating in that regard. She was concerned about it because she had a whole experience with Daemon and she knows about his relationship with his mom. She kind of sadly takes in her stride that that’s a part of interacting with a Targaryen man.

Yeah, she says in this episode, “You Targaryen boys.”

They all want the same thing: Mommy.

Theo Whiteman/HBO

What can you say about the finale and where it leaves Alys and Aemond?

It leaves her open. I think you’re going to see her. I’m excited for people to see her in her full truth.

Are you eager to leave the Harrenhal set? Can Alys leave the Harrenhal set?

Ohh, girl, I don’t know if she’s going to leave. That’s her house. And in terms of the book, I don’t see [her leaving]. But yeah, do I dream of it? Yeah, it’d be so cool. I want to go to Spain. I want to shoot in Spain. But I get to shoot in Wales and Harrenhal’s the best. I’ve had the best time, so it’s been good. No complaints.

Harrenhal’s a very cool, spooky piece of lore in this whole universe.

Incredible.

If you’re going to be stuck in a set, that’s a good one.

Yeah, it’s the best.

To wrap up, what do you think was the initial thing that attracted Alys to Aemond? How is he different in her experience with Daemon?

He’s more volatile. She feels like she can get in there quicker, faster, harder, hotter. She can just get some sh*t done quickly. He falls at her feet immediately and says, “Help me.” It took weeks to get there, even close to there with Daemon. She’s like, “OK, this is good. This is progress.”

House of the Dragon, Season 3 Finale, Sunday, August 9, HBO, Streaming on HBO Max